Are we a divided nation? Whenever someone opposes or objects to what the Tribal Government does, they are the opposition, the “other side”, the antagonist and perhaps, the subversive. This is the fruit of this foreign form of government we have. The structure of Navajo government is a system that was imposed on us, forced on us when the federal government needed the oil company to make a contract with an “official” Navajo government in 1923. This original intent for the Navajo government created a scenario that allowed for the legal exploitation of our resources and people. It was wildly successful, as the exploitation continues today, with the latest episode being the purchase of BHP Navajo Mine with its unconditional waiver of all liability, real or imagined for all time. The purchase of BHP Navajo Mine for the sake of retaining jobs and keeping the revenue stream going into our Navajo coffers cannot be argued or opposed. The mine and plant workers must be respected for tenaciously defending their jobs for the sake of family well-being. Nevertheless we need to think on whether we were all coerced into a dilemma where we had to choose one or the other. I think it was a high level power game played by the transnational corporations and they brought it down to timing. The power brokers said “we have only a tight timeframe, you have to make a decision with these certain conditions”. So our leadership goes scrambling to make it happen within the timeframe, guidelines, requirements, deal breakers and terms set out by BHP, APS and affiliates, trampling on the human rights of the people in the process. And because it was a tricky maneuver all the stops were pulled, so the divide and conquer trump card was played and the deal got done. The companies walk away counting the bucks in their fat wallets, our leaders smile and hope it was a good deal, the workers get to keep their jobs, the “opposition” is frustrated and the exploitation machine rolls on. We are a Sovereign Nation! These are our lands, our resources, our people, our future, when are we going to have our own deal breakers? For one second I do not believe that the puppet-string-pulling- powers-that-be could not have also manipulated the timeframe, after all they call the shots. That would have happened only if the transnationals were interested in affording fairness and equity to their hosts. Imagine what we, all with brown skin and friends could do if we stood together defending our land, our resources, our people and our future.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 14:53:50 +0000
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