Skip to main content

Pandemics to become new route to global power grab? Introspection on the eve of R Day

By Amitav Banerjee, MD* 

Our Constitution declares India as a "democratic republic." This confers on India the haloed status of not only being a democracy but also a republic. Since 1950, India has celebrated the Republic Day separately from the Independence Day. India's status as a Republic distinguishes it from some other democracies like Canada, Australia and New Zealand which still retain the British Monarch as their formal head. In addition to this, and more importantly, the roots of India's republic are deep and its meaning profound.
The ethos of the Indian republic as interpreted by our leaders, including Ambadekar, Nehru, J P Narayan, Lohia, Narendra Dev, M N Roy and others down the years rests on the principles of social and economic equality, the state as a public institution, an active and public-spirited citizenship, and separation of powers.
On the eve of our 75th Republic Day there are looming clouds which can undermine the ethos of our republic and threaten to convert the annual Republic Day celebrations into a mere ritual sans the soul. This can only be prevented by making our active and public-spirited citizens aware about the threat facing us and empowering them to question their elected representatives in power who are in a position to save our democratic republic.
While in an earlier era, ambitious Empires expanded their dominion with direct aggression and conquests of land and enslaving the people, modern day “Empires” are faceless, formless but nevertheless very powerful conquering and spreading their influence subtly without the conquered realizing that they are being enslaved. These entities are the greatest threat to Indian and all world democracies and republics.
History is on the verge of repeating itself and we may lose our “real” independence without the majority of Indians realizing it. Let us take a quick glimpse on how the British conquered India. And how, to the discerning, it rings a bell. The majority are in deep slumber.
India was not easy to conquer. But the British achieved it. It resorted to all possible nefarious means to enslave India. In some kingdoms they overcame the local ruler with brute military force. In others they stooped to conquer by flattery and became the de facto ruler subtly by signing “treaties” which allowed the King to rule as a figurehead enjoying “Royal Rituals” but actually becoming a puppet of the British.
Does it ring a bell? Will this bell rouse the sleeping masses and their elected representatives?
The proposed WHO pandemic "Treaty" and the amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) is designed to seduce world republics to surrender their autonomy to the WHO under the pretext of safeguarding them from future “pandemics.” As it will affect all citizens of the world understanding the implications is relevant.
The British conquered India by force and by doling out “sultanates” to petty Indian kings and signing treaties. The modern avatars of colonialism are the UN bodies like the World Bank, the WHO and the World Economic Forum, all forming a strong nexus. Their allies are ostensible philanthropies like the Gates Foundation, The Wellcome Trust and others. They are backed by the strong pharmaceutical industry. One should therefore be wary of Bill Gates praising India’s harsh lockdown and WHO calling it laudable. If our leaders get fooled by such flattery, then unfortunately, not much has changed since colonial rule.
Most medical research is funded by these agencies converting it into big business. Business, unlike true science, cannot wait for uncertainties to resolve with meticulous and cautious research. Rather all research efforts have to be directed to influence the results in favour of the pharmaceutical industry. Even medical journals cannot be trusted today to publish unbiased research. Editors of leading medical journals had expressed concerns that clinical trials were being influenced to serve the interests of the industry sposors. Richard Smith a former editor of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) says that medical journals have become the marketing arm of the pharmaceutical companies.
This is the present day “Medical Imperialism” which has overtaken “Military Imperialism.” This is driven by the pharma race which is more profitable to all vested interests than the arms race. Military Imperialism promoted wars and conquests. Medical Imperialism is poised to promote “Pandemics” and interventions driven by pharma interests. In both, people suffer. In this “pandemic mongering” which has replaced “war mongering,” WHO is taking the lead. The strategy is to replace “military treaties” with “pandemic treaties!” Even Alexander the Great would have envied this masterstroke!
Medical imperialism has overtaken military imperialism. It is driven by the pharma race, which is more profitable than arms race
Similar to the doles given to petty kings or treaties negotiated by the British to win them over, the Medical Imperialists led by the Gates Foundation in cahoots with the WHO and other bodies dole out research funds to scientists and even national scientific institutions like the ICMR to win them over. Recently, the Gates Foundation signed a Declaration of Intent with the ICMR for collaboration in research and development.
The recent pandemic exposed the WHO. It pushed harsh and draconian lockdowns for an infection which had an infection fatality rate of less than 0.03% to 0.05% up to the age of 70 years. It downplayed the strong immunity acquired by people after recovery from natural immunity to promote the untested and experimental Covid-19 vaccines benefiting the vaccine manufacturers.
During recent hearings even the “high priest” of science, Anthony Fauci, who literally assumed the role of a medical dictator during the pandemic, had to admit that most of the measures such as social distancing were not based on science. These measures caused immense harm to poor and marginalized people worldwide while the rich became richer. Instead of fixing the accountability of a handful of medical dictators and the WHO and a thorough audit of the impact of the measures taken during the pandemic, the WHO in unholy haste, is pushing the Pandemic Treaty and the amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), which will give it enormous powers to implement the failed and unscientific draconian measures including forced vaccination, lockdowns, restriction of movements, with no questions asked and no accountability. The amendments also provide for censorship and silencing of dissenting opinions. This cannot be science which progresses by dissent and debate. This is pure dictatorship under the garb of imagined pandemics.
Dr David Bell, a former WHO scientist, said that the WHO Treaty is a terrifying power grab that will grant the WHO a central directing role and monopoly of power in global health governance. Under the treaty the WHO comprising of unrepresentative, unelected members, would not be accountable to any national government or constrained by their constitutional safeguards. He feels that pandemics will become self-serving benefiting the WHO and its minions, including bureaucrats, career scientists, and politicians, and pave the way to international fascism. Hitler would have envied this!
Concerned at the discordance of the proposed WHO Pandemic Treaty which will take away our autonomy and violate the human rights of our citizens, a group of prominent lawyers, doctors and concerned citizens, have written a letter to the Indian Prime Minister and the Minister of Health and Family Welfare urging them to reject the WHO Treaty as the provisions of the treaty are ultra vires of our constitution.
We earnestly hope our government rejects the 21st century imperialistic power grab camouflaged as the “pandemic treaty.” Failing this we fear that our “democratic republic” would be going through the Republic Day rituals every year sans the soul of a true republic.
If we fail during this “tryst with destiny,” history will not judge us kindly. Jai Hind.
---
Renowned epidemiologist, professor at D Y Patil Medical College, Pune. Having served as an epidemiologist in the armed forces for over two decades, he recently ranked in Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% scientists. He has penned the book, "Covid-19 Pandemic: A Third Eye"

Comments

Dr Anupama Sen said…
We need to be really wary of this
medical imperialism.
Anushri Banerji said…
Very well written Dr. Banerjee. The analogy of modern day imperialism and yesteryear imperialism and the anarchy of international treaties very well highlighted.

TRENDING

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor*  This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat*  As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu.  He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Job opportunities decreasing, wages remain low: Delhi construction workers' plight

By Bharat Dogra*   It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land. At that time it was a big relief to get this alternative land, even though the plots given to them were very small ones of 10X8 feet size. The people worked hard to construct new houses, often constructing two floors so that the family could be accommodated in the small plots. However a recent visit revealed that people are rather disheartened now by a number of adverse factors. They have not been given the proper allotment papers yet. There is still no sewer system here. They have to use public toilets constructed some distance away which can sometimes be quite messy. There is still no...

Women's rights leaders told to negotiate with Muslimness, as India's donor agencies shun the word Muslim

By A Representative Former vice-president Hamid Ansari has sharply criticized donor agencies engaged in nongovernmental development work, saying that they seek to "help out" marginalizes communities with their funds, but shy away from naming Muslims as the target group, something, he insisted, needs to change. Speaking at a book release function in Delhi, he said, since large sections of Muslims are poor, they need political as also social outreach.

Warning bells for India: Tribal exploitation by powerful corporate interests may turn into international issue

By Ashok Shrimali* Warning bells are ringing for India. Even as news drops in from Odisha that Adivasi villages, one after another, are rejecting the top UK-based MNC Vedanta's plea for mining, a recent move by two senior scholars Felix Padel and Samarendra Das suggests the way tribals are being exploited in India by powerful international and national business interests may become an international issue. In fact, one has only to count days when things may be taken up at the United Nations level, with India being pushed to the corner. Padel, it may be recalled, is a major British authority on indigenous peoples across the world, with several scholarly books to his credit. 

Gujarat Bitcoin scam worth Rs 5,000 crore "linked" with BJP leaders: Need for Supreme Court monitored probe

By Shaktisinh Gohil* BJP hit a jackpot in the form of demonetisation, which it used as an alibi to convert black money into white in Gujarat. Even as party scrambles for answers of how the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank (ADCB), whose director is BJP president Amit Shah, received old currency worth Rs 745.58 crore in just five days, and how Rs 3118.51 crore was deposited in 11 district cooperative banks linked with Gujarat BJP leaders, a new mega Bitcoin scam, worth more than Rs 5,000 crore has been unraveled.