Thursday, May 25, 2006

Profile: The Privatization

Selling Away a Country

As the morally deteriorating world continues its slide towards the ugliest form of capitalism, and following its inhumane principles, “the government” must lose its significance in favor of “the corporation”. The traditional “state” assumes a secondary role to the domination of market economics and the corporations that run and benefit from them. Even a totalitarian regime loses its historic edge, and (shrinks) from maintaining the interest of the population, (using the term interset loosely), to maintaining the profits of the so-called investors.

The problem is that the consumer (formerly known as the citizen) is the biggest loser. Third world countries in particular faces many challenges including :

- The complete absence of laws that provide any kind of protection to the population. (The corporate take over requires this absence of any laws that could impede their exploitation, yet not without maintaining a minimum set of guidelines and laws (anti-monopoly, anti- fraud, anti- white collar crime...) that remain necessary to guarantee a minimal amount of protection (for the corporate) and to create the illusion that things are running smoothly.)
Unfortunately, in our case the people we are depending on for such laws are the main beneficiaries of their absence (ministers, parliament members, royalties and their friends and acquaintances), add to this, the traditional lack of law enforcement (for the benefit of the above groups) and we are screwed.

-In order for the process to be justified, the main revenue from selling off the “country” and its main assets must be used to help in major developmental projects, which will eventually generate higher revenues and provide long term solutions to serious problems. Unfortunately, the revenues are deposited in suspicious over-seas bank accounts, while we are busy celebrating the “improvement” of the services, and the “modernization” of the country.

Whole countries are being auctioned and garage-saled. The vendors are planning a move-out to get joined with the bank accounts. “Expert economists” are congratulating the super companies who are buying the pieces.

Abu Shreek paid his water bill at French Lema, his phone bill to Kuwaiti Telecoms, rode the bus operated by the Sultan of Brunei, applied for a Visa to visit Aqaba, and realized he cannot afford a pack of Viceroy.

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