A Call for National Action

A Call for National Action

A draft used for discussion on the 16^th October 2020

 

One sentence that is common in every article or in every statement is that “the overall situation of the country demands immediate attention of all of us”. This particular sentence speaks a lot for the situation that we are facing today. The farmers, the laborers, the Adivasis, the poor and the middleclass all are saying the same. Let us admit that this is not something special to India alone.  Many countries are facing the same situation as a result of Covid-19. What is shocking is that the political and economic leadership of many countries are refusing to learn lessons from the Covid-19 situation. They think by accelerating the same economic and development model they can solve the problems. They think by reducing democratic space and by suppressing the voice of Human Rights Organization’s and Peoples Organizations they can push their agenda faster. There is a complete takeover of the entire system by the corporate lobbies. To a great extent they have also silenced the media and the judiciary in every country.

 

The size of the challenge in-front of us should encourage people like us to stand up to the challenge. Of course the challenge is so big that it is not within the reach of and one individual or one organization to deal with it. This is the time for us to put together our ideas,   capacities and   resources to build resistance and also to build pressure for change and a change that is in the interest of millions of marginalized.

 

The agenda proposed by Jai Jagat global campaign was drawn from the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and these four pillars can be accepted as the base for our coming together. They are;

 

1.     Eradication of Poverty

2.     Reducing Inequality

3.     Mitigation of Climate Crisis

4.     Bringing an end to War and Violence

 

In countries like India we should also include the issue of land, labour, livelihood, and legislations (4 L’s) in our action plan which will have an immediate impact in the life of millions of those who are in a survival struggle.

 

Around the above issues there should be mass mobilization across the country. Many of us will have to devote our time and energy for this task in the coming days.  Each one of us will have to take a particular region and travel through the region for many months. This mobilization can lead to state; regional level actions that can send a strong message to the decision makers at the top that people are no more ready to accept business as usual. A charter of change can also come out of this process. 

 

The third year should be for a larger and sustained nonviolent struggle at the national level demanding change.

 

This National action should continue in different forms to the year 2024 and should deeply impact the manifesto of different political parties as well as the result of the election. This mobilization may also decide the kind of people who get elected and the level of commitment they hold for the suffering masses. This will mean the following.

 

·       2021- contact building and mobilization across India

·       2022 - local, state and regional actions

·       2023 - sustained National action (May be a foot march from different directions to Delhi)

·       2024 - Impacting the national election for basic changes in the governance system

 

At this stage we have the option to act or not to act, risk our life or not to risk, history will judge us according to what we may do today. This is the time to give a call to act within whatever capacity we have or at whichever level we can. Acting with the people is the only way that we can change the situation in which we are today.