People’s Power: III – Year end Special
The year 2019 saw an unprecedented rise of People’s Power demanding from their elected leaders to act for the majority of the 99%. However, all over the world, elected representatives have sided with the 1% to push the 99% to a point of no return. The continuous downslide of social and economic inequality has become so evident and humongous that demonstrators are ready to die rather than suffer all their lives.
2019 was one of the worst years of the decade for the 99% all around the world. The newly-released Oxfam Report shows the World’s Wealthiest 1% controls more wealth than the 99% of citizens. Just imagine, 22 World’s richest men own more wealth than 325,000,000 women in Africa combined! The world leaders are really not bothered about their respective citizens, for they have turned their blind eye towards poverty and inequality.
The discrimination continues as people are struggling to make the two ends meet. World’s 2,153 Billionaires have amassed more wealth than an amazing 4.6 billion people of the total 7.8 billion world’s population. As per the Oxfam Report, the 1% filthy rich people have more wealth than 6.9 billion people of the world. In the last decade, the number of billionaires has doubled around the world. Greed and corruption has given rise to the number of billionaires.
People’s Power has nothing to lose any more except their lives, which has become worst in recent years. In the first part of ‘People’s Power: Year End Special’, we covered the rise of People’s Power in Algeria, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, DR Congo. In the second part, People’s Power in Ecuador, Ethiopia, France, Gambia, Georgia, Greece, Guinea and Haiti captured the streets to demonstrate against their respective governments.
We have elucidated multiple reasons for the rise of People’s Power in all the above-mentioned nations in an alphabetic order. In the third part of ‘People’s Power: Year End Special’, www.successstory.com will elucidate more nations, where demonstrations by People’s Power have challenged their governments to act fast and now or else they will be overthrown for new leaders.
With millions and millions taking on the streets forgetting their pathetic state of living, People’s Power have displayed great courage to face deadly live bullets, huge rubber bullets, batons, tear gas, water-canons, police and army’s brutality thrown at them by dictatorial regimes. Sudan’s 30-year-dictator President Omar al Bashir was not only overthrown, but also has landed him in jail for the silliest reason of ‘Increasing the Price of Bread by 300%’.
HONDURAS
Honduras under President Juan Orlando Hernández saw the emergence of People’s Power in 2019 a number of times. Economic instability, high rate of violence, criminal activities and corruption has pushed the large section of population towards the brink of their existence. In October 2019, President Hernandez’s younger brother Tony Hernandez was convicted in New York for trafficking drugs. Witnesses implicated the President for running a drug enterprise.
Drug traffickers testified that they bribed Hernandez with $1.5 million for his political campaigns in exchange for protection from security forces and police. People’s Power has demanded him to step down. However, Hernandez has used excessive force to crush the rise of People’s Power. People’s Power rose in April, June, July, August, September and October and each time, the authoritarian President had crushed the demonstrators with excessive use of force and crackdown.
HONG KONG
The most stupendous demonstration in the world was witnessed in a small progressive city of Hong Kong. People’s Power displayed their humongous power, when more than 3,000,000 plus people packed the streets of Hong Kong against the controversial ‘Extradition Bill’. The first demonstration by People’s Power started on the 15th of March 2019. It has continued since then and in less than two months’ time, will complete its first anniversary.
Hong Kong’s CEO Carrie Lam was forced to scrap the controversial ‘Extradition Bill’ after initially refusing to do so. She has been helpless and even lost the 2019 District Council election. People’s Power’s landslide victory strengthened the young leader Joshua Wong to keep the momentum going on further. People’s Power has demanded all along resignation of Carrie Lam, who has a strong backing from Xi Jinping.
7,019 plus demonstrators have been arrested, two have died and an estimated 2,600 plus have been injured so far, ever since the rise of People’s Power. There have been violent clashes between the police and members of the People’s Power. The unity and solidarity of People’s Power in Hong Kong has inspired various countries to fight for their Constitutional Rights and challenge their respective corrupt ad authoritarian leaders.
HUNGARY
Hungary right-wing authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is pushing its own citizens towards slavery. The rise of People’s Power has so far failed to achieve anything, in spite of their demonstrators against the government’s new labour reforms. In January 2019, more than 10,000 Hungarians rallied outside the Parliament building in Budapest against the new ‘Slave Law’ in near-freezing temperatures.
The ‘Slave Law’ permits the employers to demand unprecedented 400 hours of overtime a year from its employees against the existing 250 hours. Orban has also given the employers undue power to delay the overtime payments by three years. With Orban’s Fidesz Party controlling two-thirds majority in the Parliament, the government has taken full control of the media and changing Hungarian Election System.
In the month of June 2019, People’s Power demonstrated against government’s plan to overhaul the nation’s leading scientific research body to curb academic freedom. Under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungarians are deprived of public life freedom, justice, academic freedom and press freedom. It is fascinating to note that the European Union has turned its blind eye in the last 9 plus years. Is it EU’s hypocrisy or else the EU Heads are scared of Orban’s authoritarian stature?
In the month of November 2019, People’s Power demonstrated against the government’s authoritarian threatening stance against independent journalism. The ruling Members of Parliament are promoting and sharing extremists’ posts threatening independent journalist on their personal facebook page. Political corruption is at the highest in the EU nation Hungary under Prime Minister Orban.
INDIA
The year of 2019 has been a tumultuous one for Indians in many aspects. People’s Power rose against various issues against the ruling government for its authoritarian stance to stifle dissent of the citizens. On the 5th of August 2019, the Modi government revoked the Article 370 of the Constitution of India in Jammu and Kashmir. 200 plus Jammu and Kashmir leading political leaders were detained under preventive custody for several months in a complete lockdown of the Valley.
Thousands of extra security forces were deployed in the region, communications was completely blacked out with no internet or phones working and no foreign journalists were allowed to report in Indian-administered Kashmir. 4,000 demonstrators were arrested during the complete clampdown and many have been killed too. David Kaye, United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression stated, “There is something about this shutdown that is draconian in a way other shutdowns usually are not.”
The grave situation in the Valley has continued since August 2019 with no sight of improvements whatsoever. Indian mainstream media has been restricted to report on the ground situation and everything goes through censorship by the government. The move has been seen by experts as the ‘diversification tactics’ by the government, who has no clue to revive the failing economy, solve higher rate of unemployment and improve the living conditions of the poor.
It is fascinating to note that to divert the nation’s attention from Kashmir, the government created a big attack on pristine Universities like JNU, AMU, Jamia Milia, Allahabad and the Banaras Hindu University. Students Power rose to challenge the government’s draconian policies to erode the academic institution. On the 4th of December 2019, People’s Power rose against the controversial CAA – Citizenship Amendment Act.
People’s Power rose against the government’s new controversial law first in Assam, Delhi, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura on the 4th of December 2019. In the last two months, the demonstrators have spread all over India. Women have taken active part in various demonstrations in New Delhi, Mumbai and other cities.
It is surprising and amazing to see the whole nation being united, irrespective of religions, caste or creed to demonstrate united against the authoritarian government. Police forces have brutally attacked demonstrators. More than 3,000 plus have been arrested, 27 people have lost their lives and hundreds have been injured so far. The government has failed to quell the People’s Power’s demonstrations in various States of India.
The exasperation of 1.37 billion plus Indians having being pushed by the right-wing nationalists government has had enough. The pent-up anger has given to the rise of People’s Power is demanding for a safe and better future from the government. The Modi government has so far failed drastically to control the continuously failing economy by introducing faulty policies like demonetization, GST, RERA, cattle slaughter restrictions while being the top exporting nation along with Brazil and the uncertainty over citizenship.
The crisis in the Indian sub-continent has raised questions against Modi government’s initiative to take the nation towards a secured and better future.
In People’s Power: IV – Year end Special, we will elucidates about the rise of People’s Power in many more nations. Stay tuned…
