1. Negotiations
2. India

Indian people’s call for ’Freedom from FTAs’

15th August 2010

Indian people’s call for
FREEDOM from FTAs

63 years ago India got hard-won independence from British rule and on this day a sovereign nation was born.The colonisers came in through the trade route. Trading companies like the British East India Company, the
Dutch East India Company and the French East India Company exercised control not only over India but other parts of Asia from the 17th and 18th century. The 19th century also saw the rise of American imperialism.
Today we find ourselves being literally re-colonised by these European powers and other powerful governments and economic elites, such as those in USA, EFTA, Japan, Canada, etc. This is happening through so called “free” trade agreements (FTAs), bilateral investment treaties or comprehensive economic partnership agreements. This is serious because these agreements affect all aspects of our lives – be it food,
health, education, environment as well as people’s livelihoods. The rules they impose are designed for large and powerful companies’ economic interest, and not for the small producer, worker, farmer or MSMEs, and
these rules threaten the livelihood of large numbers. IPR standards via FTAs go beyond WTO, making access to drugs and knowledge difficult, privatising seeds and planting material. Liberalised investment
opportunities for corporate bodies under these economic agreements further legitimise land acquisition and raw material plunder, while making it easier to dump their toxic waste on our land. And almost 30 such deals
are either being negotiated or have been signed. Our own government and corporate houses are entering into these agreements without any transparency and sans Parliamentary approval or social backing. This is in
outright violation of the Constitution of India. The new ’Company Rule’ is costing us our freedoms as peoples and our sovereignty as a country.

This Independence Day we together resolve to renew the struggle for our many freedoms and against FTAs. This is a struggle against free market and global trade, which are being touted by some as necessary for
wealth generation and ’development’. FTAs are a tool to further corporate interests and lock in the neo-liberal agenda. Thus FTAs work against our vision of a society that values people and the planet over corporate
profits and political interests. The Union Government’s signing of such deals not only violates the federal structure of the Indian Constitution, but undermines representative democracy and totally disregards
fundamental safeguards for all sentient beings. Therefore on this occasion we make this open call through the press and our network. We urge you to please act now:
1. When observing 15th August do share this call in your circles, in public meetings, protest rallies, etc. and make it part of your struggle in the way you want to
2. Demand full details from the Minister for Commerce and Industry in New Delhi, Fax: 011-23063418 and the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, E-mail: scindia1@gmail.com
3. Write to the Prime Minister and INC leader Sonia Gandhi letting them know that you oppose these FTAs, Fax: 011 23017047

For bringing about the change we envisage we also announce a

SERIES OF ACTIVITIES to REINFORCE OUR FREEDOM FROM FTAs

that involve ordinary peoples, social movements, concerned citizens, marginalised communities and all interested to cast their opposition and have their own say on FTAs that the Government of India is
negotiating. This is something that the official process has totally denied and in fact deliberately sidelined. This can include press conferences, sittings, protests, discussions, seminars, meetings, briefings,
consultations, etc. In this way, we also endeavour to highlight people’s alternatives to such disruptive trade regimes, whilst bringing forward their real needs, concerns and demands from the ground. We invite all to
work towards the common goal of the Forum, i.e. No FTAs in realising our collective aspirations. We resolve to together raise voices and join hands against unjust regimes and monopoly powers that push such FTAs and
thrive on them. We urge you to

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