The New Colonial Masters: From British Raj to UN Mandates

Manisha singh
7 Min Read

Economic Control British Colonial Policy:  Ah, the good old days of British rule, when the sun never set on the Empire and heavy land taxes like the Permanent Settlement were all the rage. The British had a simple goal: squeeze every last drop of wealth out of India. This economic exploitation led to widespread impoverishment and ensured that the local population remained dependent on their benevolent colonial masters. Remember Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s support to many British reforms and saw them as modernizing influences, despite the economic hardships they brought.

UN Policy Today: Fast forward to today, and it seems the UN, along with international financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank, has picked up the colonial baton. Their economic reforms and structural adjustment programs are the modern-day equivalent of the Permanent Settlement. These policies are viewed as enforcing economic dependency and influencing domestic policies, potentially undermining local economic autonomy and self-reliance. But hey, who needs self-reliance when you have global economic overlords wanting to amass wealth for themselves? Remember MMS’s economic liberalization and structural adjustments in the 1990s, aligning with IMF and World Bank policies.
Education System British Colonial Policy: The British, in their infinite wisdom, introduced Western-style education to create a compliant administrative class (thank you, Macaulay). This policy led to the erosion of traditional education systems and the creation of a Western-educated elite. Because who needs indigenous knowledge when you can learn to become a glorified clerk? Raja Ram Mohan Roy actively supported the introduction of Western education and English as a medium of instruction.
UN Policy Today: The UN and its band of international NGOs are continuing this legacy by promoting global education standards. These efforts are perceived as undermining indigenous education systems and promoting a Western-centric curriculum. The result? A potential erosion of cultural identity. But let’s be honest, what’s a little cultural erosion in the grand scheme of global homogenization into a woke cult? Who do you think is doing this today? Do you even know they are doing this to our children?

Agricultural Policies

British Colonial Policy: The British had a knack for disrupting local food production by emphasizing cash crops like indigo and cotton. This led to food insecurity, famines, and the disruption of traditional farming practices. Who needs food when you can have cash crops, right?
UN Policy Today: Today, the UN promotes modern agricultural techniques and GMOs through agencies like FAO. These initiatives are viewed as marginalizing traditional agricultural practices and creating dependency on international agribusiness. The impact on local biodiversity? Who cares, as long as the multinationals are happy. Remember Green Revolution and Punjab’s cancer train? Health Policies
British Colonial Policy: Colonial healthcare was a stellar example of prioritizing the health of British administrators while leaving the locals to fend for themselves. The result was poor health outcomes and a lack of comprehensive public health infrastructure.
UN Policy Today: The UN’s global health initiatives and vaccination programs, though well-intentioned, are often perceived as imposing external health agendas. They can potentially disregard local health traditions and priorities. After all, who needs traditional knowledge when you have global health “experts” dictating terms and administering vaccines and drugs to fill their pockets at the cost of your health?

Governance and Law

British Colonial Policy: The British were fond of imposing their legal and governance systems, undermining traditional and local structures. This led to a loss of indigenous administrative practices. But of course, the British way was the best way, right?
UN Policy Today: The UN’s promotion of democratic governance and human rights is viewed by some as interfering in domestic affairs. These policies are seen as imposing Western-style governance systems, potentially conflicting with traditional governance structures. Because clearly, one-size-fits-all democracy is what every culture needs.

Environmental Policies

British Colonial Policy: The British excelled at exploiting natural resources for their industrial needs, leading to environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. The lush forests and diverse ecosystems of India were just collateral damage in the pursuit of British industrial progress.
UN Policy Today: The UN’s climate change initiatives and environmental conservation programs, like the Paris Agreement, are perceived as imposing global standards that may constrain local development priorities. Traditional livelihoods? Who cares, as long as the global environmental agenda is met.

Conclusion: A New Form of Colonialism?

In conclusion, the parallels between British colonial exploitation and contemporary UN policies suggest a new form of neocolonialism. While the faces and institutions may have changed, the underlying impact on India’s sovereignty and self-reliance remains strikingly similar. I always wondered why Indians supported British to enslave their own. But even today we have people blindly accepting UN overlordship like they are the all-knowing Gods. We even have some big NGO’s mouthpieces sitting in Rajya Sabha promoting “their products”, spending our tax money and playing with lives of our little girls. External powers, whether colonial Britain or the modern UN, continue to shape India’s economic, educational, agricultural, health, governance, and environmental landscapes, often prioritizing global agendas over local needs. Are we so lazy and comfortable being enslaved that we are ready to make a deal with the devil, sell our souls for high salaries and so-called prestige? Or are we just so stupid that we STILL believe in their “holier than thou” act. We now have two choices: OPEN OUR EYES AND DECOLONIZE OUR MINDS or REMAIN ENSLAVED.
From one friends wall. find her on X @JoshiGargiGoyal

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Manisha Singh is a freelancer, content writer,Yoga Practitioner, part time working with AgraBharat.
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