We are understanding more and more about Free Market Capitalism, and how politics and business have become intertwined to erode our democracies and steal from ordinary citizens. And more and more our big corporations and fortunate sons have been invoking the name of God to wage wars and to wage unrestrained Free Market Capitalism.

On her June 2001 visit to the United States, Sonia Gandhi, Indian opposition leader, met with Vice-President Dick Cheney and many U.S. lawmakers and in this occasion she began one speech with these words

"it was Porfirio Diaz, I think, who bemoaned Mexico's fate of being so far away from God and so close to America. Well, India has given the world four religions, welcomed Christianity in the 4th century AD and has the world's second largest Muslim population. We are entitled to turn Diaz around and cry out how close we are to God but so far away from the United States. But thanks to this congressional caucus, the distance between India and America, both geographical and otherwise, is being bridged."

Possibly Sonia Gandhi alluded to Enron's business in India when she stated that the distance between India and America was being bridged. We must understand that Enron along with its subsidiary Dabhol Power Co. entered into an agreement to provide the Indian state of Maharashtra with the delivery of electrical and other energy power. This agreement included a memorandum of understanding which was concluded in less than 72 hours. This agreement has been labelled as the biggest scam ever plotted in India, and at a price of US $35-40 billion is perhaps one of the largest civilian contracts in world history. It was obvious that the Indian people revolted against Enron-Dabhol Power Co. and refused to pay their supposed unconstitutional obligations. As a consequence, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian affairs Christina Rocca summed up India's investment problems with the five letter word "Enron." Today, we learn that Vice-President Dick Cheney met Sonia Ghandhi on June 27, 2001 for 25 minutes and raised the issue of a US $64-million debt owed to Enron from a major energy project in India.

The morale of this story is just an example of how the Free Market operates with the complicity of politicians on behalf of the Few and Privileged and against the interest of ordinary citizens of any country.

References:

Arundhati Roy interviewed by David Barsamian http://www.the-south-asian.com/Arundhati%20Roy-Interview1.htm

Sonia meets Cheney, lauds India caucus, Aziz Haniffa, India Abroad Correspondent in Washington http://www.rediff.com/us/2001/jun/28us1.htm

DEMOCRAT TO AUTOCRAT: THE TRANSFORMATION OF PORFIRIO DIAZ http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/jtuck/jtporfdiaz.html

Power to the people, but at what price? An interview with Abhay Mehta, author of Power Play. http://www.indiatogether.org/interviews/abhay-enron.htm

Enron says not seeking U.S. sanctions against India, By Reuters, Issue Date: Aug 23 2001 http://www.thestandard.com/wire/0,2231,28150,00.html

Cheney discussed Enron with Indian leader, By John King, CNN Washington Bureau, January 18, 2002 http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/01/18/cheney.enron/index.html