Manchesterite Free Trade Movement, Greenpeace-style

To all the Participants of fhe Liberal Roundtable held in Hyderabad on 6-7 September, 2007

From: Sauvik Chakraverti



1. Since we hold that all solutions lie in the market, and no solutions lie in this State, our political strategy must be one of chipping away at government restrictions and controls: the first of which must be the customs department. Therefore, our first direct political intervention must be aimed at free trade.

2. My idea is simplicity itself: First, we engage in pamphleteering, and circulate Frederic Bastiat's "Candlemakers' Petition" in each and every coastal town on our western seaboard – from Kutch and Porbandar down to Cochin. With the engagement of some local agent provocateurs, the mass of the city will immediately conceive free trade as in their own self-interest – as also their "ancient tradition". Furthermore, they will all see the customs department as an obstruction that should be removed. This widespread "opinion" will be our greatest strength, apart from the clarity of our views. Two other essays of Batsiat against "reciprocity" in trade should be circulated as well. There is also my "Walled-in Ideas: We No Longer Need Economists", about The Wall around the port of Mangalore. Two of my recent "Antidote" columns also endorse free trade with simplicity and clarity. All these should be translated into the local languages and put into the public domain in each and every one of these coastal port cities and towns.

3. Next, we "facilitate" trade between any one of these port cities and Dubai. Merchants in the Indian city will pay for merchandise in Dubai which will be loaded on to a ship called "RAINBOW WARRIOR HAJI MASTAN " that will then set sail for that city. In the meantime, the climate of "opinion" in that city will be one of joy and optimism – that "my ship is coming in". When the ship arrives, I do believe the customs department will get out of the way, as the entire mass of that city approaches the port shouting "Rukawat Hatao". This "event" will be reported in the media.

4. The rest will be the stuff of history: a thousand ships will set sail for all these liberated ports of India; they will be followed by thousands of cargo planes headed for the inland cities and towns. These "merchant ships" will dominate public discourse and the "pirate ship" of the State will steal away from the scene. As was said of one of the last Mughal Emperors: "Poor old Shah Alam / He rules from Delhi to Palam," Instead of "Dilli Chalo" the cry will be "Dilli Chhoro" as the Great Konkan Gold Rush makes people respond to economic incentives and shift bag-and-baggage to the hundreds of booming coastal towns that will mushroom overnight.

5. There is another advantage: We need not raise any funds. The merchants will themselves pay for the cargo, freight etc.

6. Lastly, this "idea" came to me during the meet. I had not conceived of such an idea before. So thank you all for stimulating my mind so beautifully.

7. Next on the "Hit List": the excise department.

8. Then, the RTO… and so on and so forth.

9. "Liberty or Death", said Patrick Henry. That should be our battle-cry.