Voices of activism: Vedanta protest

Viewpoint

Monday July 27th 2009

As Vedanta Resources prepare to strip mine bauxite from Niyamgiri mountain, home to indigenous tribes and the key to a fragile ecosystem, protesters chanted outside the mining giant's AGM alongside a heavy mechanical digger plastered with ActionAid messages. Andy Checkley interviewed activists including musician Nitin Sawhney and MP Diane Abbott on the situation's questionable ethics regarding the destruction of a protected habitat for endangered wildlife, the human rights of indigenous tribes living on the mountain and the pollution of a Vedanta alumina refinery already operating at the foot of the mountain
• Read a tribesman on the Vedanta issue

Monday July 27th 2009

Protesters at the Lincoln Centre with tribesman Sataram Kulisika. Photograph: Aubrey Wade/ActionAid

Meredith Alexander, Action Aid Head of Trade and Corporates

ActionAid has been aware of the Niyamghiri situation for three years. It was brought to our attention by the Kondh people themselves, and everything that we do is in support of their campaign.

The main concern then was the same concern as now, that the community really does not want either the mine or the refinery that's already been built.

The Kondh people live a lifestyle that their families have lived for generations. This is a sustainable lifestyle that's in harmony with their natural lifestyle that's in harmony with nature. A lifestyle that they have chosen for themselves. This isn't about Action Aid campaigning against development, this is what the Kondh themselves want.

What Vedanta is offering them is a method of compensation forcing them to live a different style of life. The Kondh have characterised it well – they see that instead of being masters of their own land, they would become servants in their own homes. They would have to work for a wage instead of following a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Its a fundamental question of human rights – if this were to happen in Britain, we would be outraged and I think its just as correct to be outraged at what's happening in India. This isn't neo-colonialism, this is supporting people in their own country using their own set of ideas. But at the same time, I know there's a lot of people with environmental concerns and were looking at a habitat that's home to endangered species. So it's something with international significance for all of us.

I think the British people have a very strong connection to wildlife conservation, as well as historical bonds with India. Most importantly, Vedanta is a company listed in Britain. ActionAid works with affected communities to help with very specific cases such as this one, but at the same time we understand that it would take a very long time to pick off every example of corporate poor behaviour. So we also work on corporate regulation, working with the British government to try and improve their way of regulating British companies overseas. We've had a very longstanding, successful campaign to try and get supermarket ombudsmen that will force British supermarkets to play fair by their suppliers and we know that this will have a direct impact in terms of wages and working conditions in developing countries.

This is one particular sector, but there are many economic sectors in this country. What we should be focusing on is overarching regulation for all companies and economic sectors. ActionAid has a history of doing this, we worked on the Companies Act in 2005, which helped to clarify company reporting on social and environmental standards. Now, we're looking to work with other NGOs to try and create a business and human rights commission that would have a much larger oversight.

I think the people of Niyamgiri have been abandoned by both their national and state governments. The Indian state and legal system is very complicated, its not just a single, unified entity and many of the Government's bodies have supported the Kondh. Unfortunately, the people with the power haven't.

I think the Indian government need to support their own people and I understand that they're trying to balance the needs of the many against the needs of the few, but really what development is about is individuals, families and communities. You can't make big sweeping projects that ignore the needs of the locals, that has never worked.

All I can say is what the Kondh are saying: they do not want this mine, there is no kind of compensation Vedanta can offer that will be acceptable to them. Vedanta should not mine in Niyamgiri.

Diane Abbot, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington

I heard about Niyamgiri through a talk by Arundhati Roy at the South Bank centre, I was really moved by a speech and moved to action. I think this situation is worthy of attention in Britain because it's a British company and I think as a British company the government should step in. Just as the government stops people selling arms where appropriate, we should find a way to stop companies doing this kind of environmental damage. I think shareholders should be aware of how this company is making its money and they should have a voice.

Vedanta's activities are anti-human rights, against the rights of indigenous people and are as bad in its way as Apartheid was in the 1990s. Just as our government, shareholders and NGOs made their voices heard about Apartheid, they need to make their voices heard about this.

I think that just as we intervene in the arms trade, we should intervene in activity such as this. We should license firms where there is some environmental consequences to their work which can be withdrawn should the government be dissatisfied, preventing them from operating abroad.

As a Member of Parliament, I am loath to criticise politicians overseas, but I do think it's for the British shareholders, people and government to stand with the indigenous peoples of this area.

I would say that Vedanta need to think about the environmental consequences of what they are doing and need to end this scheme.

Nitin Sawhney, songwriter and producer

I originally went to see Arundhati Roy give a talk at the Queen Elizabeth Hall recently. She was talking about all kinds of human rights violations in India and Vedanta came up alongside this situation in the Niyamgiri hills. I was in communication with the organisers of Action Aid and this is something I feel very strongly about – it violates rights in terms of access to water, their rights to religious freedom in worshipping the mountain and it is a violation of the ecological system there, which the Wildlife Institution of India mention. The Orissa State Pollution Control Board report of 2008 has highlighted toxic pollution and CEC from the Supreme Court originally said this mining shouldn't have gone ahead.

Here we have profit being put above human rights and I think this symbolises a lot of what is wrong in the world right now. This is another example of corporations walking all over people without a voice and I think standing up for these people is a very important issue.

What stands out to me is that these people are indigenous to India – they are the original people who populated India, not even Hindus but Animists, the mountain itself is their God. They feel very strongly about that and I think their right to religious freedom, article 25 of the Indian Constitution, is very important – its about respect for cultural identity and freedom. On that level alone it is critical.

It is vital to question what development really means. For me, it is about developing people rather than just resources – not just about netting a major shareholder more money on top of his billions. I think its important to put 8,000 people above the one.

I'm involved in some charity work, but usually in a quieter way than this. I feel that somebody needs to speak out about this particular issue because the Kondh tribe are being treated as almost invisible by the media and politicians, much like Australian Aboriginals. These people don't have anyone to speak out for them and I think it's fantastic that people are here to protest on their behalf today.

The Kondh don't want compensation, they want access to their mountain, water and way of life. Vedanta are walking all over a whole community and you can't compensate them for that if they don't want to be. They don't see any any other way of living and that needs to be respected.

I think we all have a responsibility for a British firms behaviour. Their subsidiary, Sterlite, might be based in India but its still a subsidiary of a British firm. We have a responsibility to recognise that and do something about it, to see what is being done in our name.

Vedanta have no right to do this to people, Kondh individuals are as valid as anyone from the company. It is important not to have this lack of respect. I think Vedanta need to live up to last years promise to get the complete permission of everybody involved before going ahead with the mine.

I'm very surprised the Orissa state is in partnership with Vedanta on this, I don't know what money has exchanged hands but for me, a government exists to protect its people. They are elected to stand up for everyone and for them to sell out to big business would be disgusting. There are already mining operations at the foot of the hills which are leaking caustic soda into the area's water. There's 660 hectares of protected rainforest there – it shouldn't be threatened. It is strange that the Supreme Court has gone back on these decisions and it is unnerving that suddenly this is being allowed.

I remember reading Nelson Mandela's Rivonia speech, where he said he stood for the struggle of all people – I respect that way of thinking, we are all on the same planet and have a responsibility towards each other and the environment. This is of great significance to all of us.

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