Naomi Klein’s book, No is not Enough , is born of a realisation that opposing governmental policies is not enough; an alternative narrative should emerge – like the Leap Manifesto of Canada. The efficacy of alternative narrative is further affirmed by the popularity of political candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn and Arvind Kejriwal.
Almost 60 activists working in different areas such as climate change, indigenous rights, social and food justice, faith-based and labour movements came together in the spring of 2015 and began a process of thinking and dreaming beyond their individual issues for a tomorrow they wanted. The group didn’t hierarchically order the crises; the fruit of their discussion was the Leap Manifesto, which signifies their ability to see the inter-connectedness between crises and the alternatives. The ‘Leap’ in the title reinforces the fact that small steps are no longer enough.
The Leap Manifesto of Canada demands acknowledgment of the rights of the original caretakers of the land and the introduction of universal annual income. It criticises the reduced funding on low-carbon sectors such as education and healthcare, and reckless privatisation of energy sectors in the name of austerity. Along with the use of clean energy and greener agriculture, it advocates that energy sources should be community-owned. They ask for adequate development of public transit systems. They propose town hall meetings across the country, which give residents an opportunity to gather and democratically interpret the Leap Manifesto for their own local communities. There could be a tendency to label the entire description as a utopia. According to me, the feasibility depends on one of their proposals – the ability to weaken the monopoly of corporates in the political decision-making process.
Indian Context
The crises that are relevant in India are significantly different from those in Canada. The problems of Dalits differ from those of religious minorities, which in turn differ from those impacting farmers. Attempts to claim that ‘my issue is bigger than yours’, would weaken the might of our fight. The challenge before all concerned citizens is, can we see the inter-connectedness between a majority of these issues to develop our own Leap Manifesto?
Here I would mention a few of the connecting links between the crises. The poor, the indigenous people and the farming community are the worst-affected by the climate crisis. The pro-corporate policies of successive governments (which promoted development and inequality) in terms of lesser governmental regulations enhanced the probabilities of ecological hazards. Tax benefits to the rich industrialists (as in the case of Special Economic Zones) have an adverse impact on the money available for welfare schemes. As Nobel laurate Joseph E. Stiglitz says, a trickle-down theory is wrong; history is the witness to the increase in inequality between the rich and the poor. India has one of the fastest growth rates of inequality in the world. Policies favouring differentiation are entertained to divert the attention of people from the real issues.
AFew Challenges
French philosopher Jacques Derrida speaks of the binary opposites, where society is divided into two classes where one is more privileged than the other. Centuries of such historical privileges or wrongs have helped the population with a belief in the inequality. We are different, but we are equal before the law. This realisation should be imparted through education and other means for the creation of a just society.
The inefficiency of the authorities does create many man-made tragedies. Painkillers are given to soothe pain and so are scapegoats created for a similar purpose. The dementia of our psyche helps us forget and move on as if the pain was part of our destiny. Along with forgetfulness we own the virtue of procrastination. This makes the politicians less accountable in the non-election period.
In an article in The Hindu , Sameera Iyengar says, “I love mythology, and I love science too, they represent different truths, and each one is valuable for the function it serves. However, mixing the two diminishes both. And it is a dangerous confusion to propagate.” Many newer myths are created as means of oppression and later, they are labelled as facts. Such a creation of facts makes it difficult for the public to rebel against systems of injustice.
A just, independent country was the vision of the freedom fighters, which is promised by the Preamble to the Constitution; the same is the hope of the Indian and the majority groups. Developing our own Leap Manifesto standing on the bedrock of these hopes is a challenge to our intellectuals, activists, teachers, students, farmers, Dalits, indigenous people and the concerned citizens. It needs to be another expression of the celebration of diversity. A pan-Indian response is required as the policies are decided by the Centre and the State governments. To quote Naomi Klein again, “The people’s platforms are starting to lead — and the politicians will have to follow.”
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