 |
 |
 |
||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
|
�GREATNESS CRISIS� OF A GREAT MAN �03 : PROF. AMARTYA K. SEN AND CAPITALISM Part -3 By Bijon B. Sarma INTRODUCTION: Capitalization is an innocent word that means �to make the best use of something�. Thus a man may capitalize his health for earning money and fame, sporting capability for earning livelihood and so on. It should however, be noted that a man cannot capitalize equally on all matters, and that over capitalization on one factor is sure to negatively affect the others. In the same way, a country may take a program to capitalize her wealth. This is the act that we know as Capitalistic economy. Economics is the subject in which Professor Amartya Kumar Sen is an authority. We know the economists have suggested numerous ways to �capitalize wealth�. When USA, a country of immigrants was suffering from the tremendous pressure of demands for wealth from the fortune-seeker immigrants, their political leaders thought of producing or having �more wealth�. By this time they were accustomed to acquire wealth through �animal-like use of human being� in the role of slaves. The political leaders found the ways advocated by some economists (Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill etc.) suitable to achieve this goal. That was how capitalism as economic policy was adopted in the USA. The way Capitalism is defined as �capitalization of wealth� Democracy may be defined as �Capitalization of welfare of the citizens�. After USA adopted this policy (e.g. by �capitalization of factors like mechanized cultivation, irrigation, superior seeds and fertilizers etc.), the country witnessed a boom in agro-production. The same thing happened in industrial production due to �capitalization of factors like division of labor, specialized machineries, mono-trained workers etc. However, the country adopted other policies also for having wealth and we shall mention those in the later part of this article. The world was amazed to witness the tremendous success of capitalism in USA. As we mentioned, capitalization of one factor eats up the fruit of another, happened in this case also. Their capitalization of wealth capitalization earned success at the cost of exploitation of human being. The time when Prof. Sen worked in that country he saw or had to see �capitalism� from one particular angle. Now it is time for him to look at the same from various other angles, specially the one from which we look at it. We confess, our outlook is narrow. Prof. Sen is the person who can widen our angle of view.
BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF CAPITALISM: Even before the concept capitalism germinated in USA, the country was quite �wealthy� with huge land, animals, mineral resources and few people. The country was further fortunate to �avail� the African slaves as cheap labor force. Industrial revolution tremendously helped the country to establish the backbone of industrial production. As for cheap labor, illegal immigrants fulfill that need. There supply is almost inexhaustible, because when one group gets citizenship another group arrives. The country was fortunate to �avail� the scopes that were created by a number of wars abroad. The country earned huge profit from her �war-economics� in which wars or war-like situations were created in various regions and war-equipments sold at the highest price. These activities enriched the country to such extent that, in case equally distributed, probably each of her citizens could become a millionaire. Instead, however, only a few were made billionaires. The confidence of the citizens on the government was firmly established by assuring �allowance during no job period� and a minimum standard of living. It is interesting to note that this �minimum standard� is much better than most other countries. So, the citizens found no reason to complain even after they witnessed that, �capitalism� has stopped the fair play of democracy in their land. Following the success of "war-economics" (it is an out of home policy), the country adopted other out of home policies like WTO (World Trade Organization), OME (Open Market Economy), WCF (Willful collapse of Firms) etc., which do not hamper the interest of her own citizens, but is capable of squeezing out wealth from abroad.
EVALUATION OF SUCCESS: Even a candid evaluation indicates, capitalism is not very successful in the USA. Quite often the strong economy of the country is taken as the criteria of the grand success of capitalism, but in fact it is not so. A careful observation that the country earned most of her wealth not due to their capitalistic system of agro-industrial production, but from the two other sources viz. (a) few people and vast wealth and (b) �war-economics�. These two are the greatest contributors to US economy. As a matter of fact, many a times their capitalistic economy needed to have been and still being subsidized from other sources. For example, (a) their improved and mechanized cultivation raised the price of agro-products to such an extent that neither local consumers nor external market could consume those. As a solution, huge subside was given to the farmers by their government. This may be taken as a failure of their �capitalistic agro-production system�. We should not forget most of the large farmers are �capitalists�, who are the real masters of the USA. (b) In the Industrial sector the modern plants were so efficient that, it was difficult to find out markets for their �round the year production�. So the industrialists have adopted a policy of periodic lock out, during which time the workers are paid sustenance allowance by the government. In this case, the laborers suffer due to less pay, but the industrialists enjoy profit because the government pays the cost for the labor during no-work months. This is another example of secret subside by the government. So, this also may be considered as a failure of the �capitalistic industrial production system�. By this time we already know, the owners of these industries are the �capitalists�, the real masters. We have already mentioned in another article why there is no hope for democracy to have a fair play in a country where the exploitable items lies in the hands of the few. It is known to all that this �few� are the capitalists, who enjoys the real political power by dint of their financial status and do whatever goes in their favor. It is no wonder that they get they always the result of the democratic election in their favor.
RECENT EXPERIENCES: In the recent decades US firms are advocating GMS (Genetically Modified Seeds) in the non-US countries. These seeds are so harmful for the nature�s ecology that their own country does not allow it. As for markets for exporting US products, the country is pressing hard to get entry into other countries. To prove the �innocence� in their proposal they say, their markets also would be equally open for these countries. It has been mentioned that many of their agro and industrial products are in fact subsidized, which probably they could manage from their income from war-economics. Whenever there would raise a question of competitive price, how many non-US countries would be able to compete ? In USA there are government specified rules regarding preparation, processing, packaging and labeling of products, along with such provisions like whether the producing companies used child labors, or their laborers have the right to trade union and so on. The USA has reached in the present state as a result of steady progress for a long period of time, during which their industries were subsidized and served by cheap laborers like slaves or illegal immigrants. How can the non-US countries with so different contextual background expect to do that ? However, in the interest of their citizens the USA deserves the right to ban any imported items in case the above conditions are not fulfilled. At present they are not saying much about implementing those. But it is quite likely that they would apply those �weapons� to the country of their disliking in right time. By this time, their dumped products in those countries would do the targeted job, i.e. closing their productive industries. It is not difficult to discover that in the US governments policy there is a tendency to indirectly transfer public money lying with the government to the accounts of the capitalists. When war weapons are destroyed and new weapons are purchased, the US citizens lose their children and hard earned money deposited with the government as taxes. As owners of war-weapon manufacturing firms, the capitalists enjoy the benefit. At times the US government is found to be too generous in giving aids to poor countries. At times they give loans, knowing fully well those would never be recovered. All these aids or bad debts are deducted from the people�s deposit with the government. The government follows this policy because in all such deals there remains a clause of supply of equipments and products from US firms. So, while the US citizens are deprived the capitalists are benefited from such aids and bad debts. It may not be out of place to mention their latest invention. This �invention may be called �Willful Collapse of Firms� (WCF). It is known to all that a number of renowned US firms have collapsed. With each such collapse billions of people�s and other organizations� money in fact secretly vanishes in few accounts. Because of tremendous complexities in their financial managements and policies the names and identities of the losers are not readily known. But definitely there are losers both at home and abroad. And the people working in those companies are both losers and sufferers. Probably the government would not be able to pin point the cause and identify the culprits behind such collapse of firms. At times innocent employees might be held responsible. And on rare occasions the real �man� may be seen behind the bars. But probably the man won�t mind for that. By this time he has carefully calculated and discovered that a few year�s jail term for several b/million dollars is not a bad deal. So, whatever might happen to the workers, share-holders, bankers or other financiers of these collapsed companies, more and more such companies would be facing such willful �collapse� in future. In the coming days, intelligent brains employed by the capitalists would formulate newer and much better inventions, which would take away billions of dollars belonging to the people silently and intelligently. We would witness those, but shall not be able to do anything, because we won�t have the power. Those who would have the power (the government) would see those, but won�t do anything, because of the fact that, "in capitalistic economy, the democratically elected government has to work as lobbying agents of the few capitalists".
CONCLUSION : We discussed the topics related to capitalism and their role towards our countries to the best of our knowledge and ability. We know Prof. Amartya Sen is a world-renowned expert and an authority in this discipline. His writings and comments bear the weight, which no one can surpass. But the important question is, whether he will be interested in these topics. In view of the tremendous problem the non-US countries are now suffering due to various US policies give us an idea that the capitalistic policy the USA followed so long has been proved at least partial failure and that is the reason why the country is extending its hands of exploitation outward with motivated proposals and demands. It would be highly appreciated if Prof. Sen could endeavor to find out the facts and enlighten us further.
Bijon B. Sarma, Associate Professor, Architecture Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh. Go to: Part4
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
||
|
||||