{"id":116808,"date":"2021-08-05T16:30:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T23:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=116808"},"modified":"2021-08-05T16:30:53","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T23:30:53","slug":"are-governments-losing-control-to-corporates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/08\/05\/are-governments-losing-control-to-corporates\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Governments losing control to Corporates"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong data-rich-text-format-boundary=\"true\">Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/New-Picture-94_thumb3.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There\nare many lessons to learn from history. A look back in time will reveal\noccasions that companies forced governments to invade or create regime change\nin nations because government policies were impacting their profit &amp;\npresence in countries. US corporates in South America, assassination of Iran\u2019s\nMossadegh are just a handful of examples that come to mind. The important point\nis that corporates have silently been influencing governments to the point of\neven dislodging governments. Today, corporates (nowhere near squeaky clean) are\neven taking governments to court. With the corporate owned media carrying on a\nsystematic campaign to showcase the inefficiency of governments &amp; their\napparatus \u2013 we should wonder what they are up to now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/10-corporations-control-almost-everything-you-buy_5278076859784_w1500-1024x642.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Many\nof the global companies relocate to third world nations, not to do any favor to\nthem but because these countries are advantageous to them \u2013 they pay fewer\ntaxes, they can employ cheap labor and there is less regulations while they can\neasily exploit local conditions. This is the haven and heaven away from home\nwhere most likely the opposite prevails. So if Western companies are relocating\nto third world nations, there is a good reason for them to do so and it isn\u2019t\nout of any heart wrenching desire to help the Third World.&nbsp; That is likely\nto come at the bottom of their priority list. Accenture is a good example \u2013 it\nhas relocated to various parts of the world &amp; operates its franchises via a\nSwiss holding company incorporates in Bermuda \u2013 it has close to 400,000\nemployees working in 55 countries\/200 cities.&nbsp; These are virtually\nSTATELESS COMPANIES or METANATIONALS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/fee.org\/articles\/do-big-corporations-control-america\/\">https:\/\/fee.org\/articles\/do-big-corporations-control-america\/<\/a>notice\nhow increasing numbers of politicians &amp; public servants are joining big\ncorporates no sooner they retire! How much conflict of interest have they been\nprivy to while in office in favor of these corporates!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-international-business-degree-guide\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"aCP6vhN1l6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/internationalbusinessguide.org\/corporations\/\">Which Corporations Control the World?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Which Corporations Control the World?&#8221; &#8212; International Business Degree Guide\" src=\"https:\/\/internationalbusinessguide.org\/corporations\/embed\/#?secret=VAYtyvh5Nz#?secret=aCP6vhN1l6\" data-secret=\"aCP6vhN1l6\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-05-at-7.25.43-AM-1024x401.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-05-at-7.25.56-AM-1024x606.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-05-at-8.11.29-AM-1024x489.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-05-at-8.16.46-AM.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-05-at-8.26.36-AM-866x1024.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-05-at-8.26.52-AM.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shenaliwaduge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-05-at-8.31.32-AM-1024x686.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially\nwhat it means is that their heart is not in any one nation leave alone their\nbirthhome and they wish to only profit from wherever they are located in. Their\nloyalty in essence is to none but themselves. This is quite the opposite from\nthe General Motors theme \u2018what was good fo our country was good for General\nMotors\u2019. All of the global companies fish for countries to relocate depending\non how \u2018friendly\u2019 and \u2018free\u2019 regulations are. Their pals in the international\nmonetary agencies help them via demands upon governments to make their nation\n\u2018investor friendly\u2019 and building up a mythical scenario amongst citizens that\ngovernment apparatus is not friendly for the foreign investors &amp; more\n\u2018liberalizations\u2019 are required. Plenty of locals are co-opted easily to parrot\nthis requirement. These are the supposed \u2018experts\u2019 to whom governments have to\nlisten as they are the \u2018policy makers\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.famcap.com\/the-worlds-750-biggest-family-businesses\/\">https:\/\/www.famcap.com\/the-worlds-750-biggest-family-businesses\/<\/a>\u2013\nthis list of 750 family\u2014run businesses across the world are either fully\nprivate or the family holds at least 30% shares in the public company &amp; annual\nrevenues exceeding $2.6billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These\nmetanational corporates are very sleazy \u2013 they are virtually above the law.\nThey ensure they register in a country that gives them legal protection, they\nhave their corporate management in a country that suits the upper echelons,\nthey have their financial assets where they know no one can touch and spread\nstaff as they see fit. How else do corporates big guns hold trillions of\ndollars in tax-free offshore accounts? Can we call this \u2018stateless income\u2019?\nPresident Obama called them \u2018Corporate deserters\u2019 for hoarding money (article\nby Parag Khanna) The 10 biggest banks is said to control almost 50% of assets\nworldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Companies\nuse the strength of their balance sheets to borrow money from banks and then\nuse the cash to buy their own shares from the stock market This inflates the\nvalue of the remaining stock, consequently increasing the net worth of the\nlargest shareholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bigpharma\nis owned by investment funds. Institutional investors are holding our health \u2013\nconnected through their shareholders! What an investment the covid vaccines\nare!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Public\ncompanies too are owned by large institutional investors &amp; this in turn\nwill create many ownership links to create virtual common ownerships!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Common\nshareholders are said to own 50% of a company while they also hold stakes in\nrival pharma companies. Bayer the makers of Asprin was collectively owned by\nSwiss-based Novartis&amp; German-Bayer (50% each)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pfizer,\nJ&amp;J &amp; Merck hold shares in Vanguard, SSGA &amp; BlackRock investment\ncompanies. Pfizer &amp; AstraZeneca are also connected. Together they control\ndrug prices \u2013 nothing that customers can complain about as they are all one big\ncartel &amp; buy over generic brands, where they cannot they refuse to share\npatents. Health is unfortunately a money making machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\nwould be good if governments woke up to ground realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nsovereignty of nations today is interlinked to supply chains &amp; demand &amp;\nsupply. When countries have failed in self-sufficiency their dependency for\nimport-export makes them reliant on global institutes\/companies and this in\nturn gives upper edge for metanational corporates to enter as \u2018foreign\ninvestors\u2019 but in reality more than they give to a nation \u2013 they take away,\nunseen, unnoticed and unaware to the government &amp; the populace as no one is\nreally bothered to monitor what the foreign investor has really given against\nwhat he is annually taking away out of the country. A mental scenario of taboo\nto question them is circulated amongst the populace. With everything becoming\n\u2018virtual\u2019 and reliance on computer systems \u2013 will governance be from the\n\u2018clouds\u2019!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-the-harvard-law-school-forum-on-corporate-governance\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/corpgov.law.harvard.edu\/2019\/10\/10\/corporate-control-across-the-world\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/who-is-more-powerful-states-or-corporations-99616\">https:\/\/theconversation.com\/who-is-more-powerful-states-or-corporations-99616<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>how\nenticing are these PPP deals or is it simply an interim-maneuver until\ncorporates can take control over state enterprises and state assets. The Made\nin \u2026..  will become just a tag-line for a final lproduct will have parts\nsourced from all corners of the world. There nothing \u2018British\u2019 in anything\n\u2018British\u2019 nowadays!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If\ninternational companies are increasingly becoming \u2018divorced\u2019 from the\nnation-state they started out their enterprise having relocated to various\ncountries around the world &amp; profiting from each, those they employ\ninvariably encapsulates the same mentality. With this notion gaining currency,\nis this a subtle alternate way to burying the nation-state system as we know\nthese very global corporates are pushing for the one-world governance under\ntheir control. The end objective is to have rulers &amp; the ruled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When\ncompanies smell the power they can yield over governments and countries \u2013 it is\ndangerous. They have no affinity nor is there any legal hold over them.&nbsp;\nThey essentially control the food we eat, the medicines we take and the supply\nchain that dictates our existence. All that corporates do not have are standing\narmies. But, let\u2019s not forget for bananas governments have been overthrown in\nSouth America and Africa, for oil leaders have been assassinated or regimes\noverthrown, to pilfer diamonds and resources, dictators have been propped to\npower \u2013 there is nothing that corporates cannot get governments to do. Look at\nhow games have fallen prey to corporates &amp; their sponsorships. No longer is\na cricket a game &amp; players are just pawns of brands that own them. What\nhappens if a country-owned company starts buying ports in different countries\nsimilar to Dubai Ports World acquiring the British company that operated ports\nin US? The nationality of corporates should remain national and not\ninternational for national-sovereignty to prevail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Governments\/Politicians\nand the Political system may not be perfect but it is based on some form of\npeople representation which demands the People to correct its flaws &amp;\nnuances. However, corporate control largely for personal\/shareholder profit is\nrarely concerned about equitable distribution or welfare of the masses.\nCorporates are not squeaky clean either &amp; there is no international\nmechanism to rope them for their white-collar crimes too \u2013 many of these crimes\noften get ignored &amp; overlooked based on the power they yield over the\npropaganda communicated about them (which they control) &amp; the strength of\ntheir influence over the systems that accuse them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Corporates\ncan have key roles but they cannot be allowed to take over &amp; control the\nnation-state!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shenali D Waduge There are many lessons to learn from history. A look back in time will reveal occasions that companies forced governments to invade or create regime change in nations because government policies were impacting their profit &amp; presence in countries. US corporates in South America, assassination of Iran\u2019s Mossadegh are just a handful [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116808\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}