{"id":91180,"date":"2019-07-08T17:51:50","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T00:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=91180"},"modified":"2019-07-08T17:51:50","modified_gmt":"2019-07-09T00:51:50","slug":"mcc-land-grab-sri-lanka-must-learn-from-africas-land-take-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/07\/08\/mcc-land-grab-sri-lanka-must-learn-from-africas-land-take-over\/","title":{"rendered":"MCC Land Grab \u2013 Sri Lanka must learn from Africa\u2019s land take over"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The white man landed in Africa and set up his own systems to\nrule and divide Africa to plunder. Ironically the same countries are now fine tuning\nthe very laws they set into motion to facilitate a new wave of plunder. However,\nin most of Africa customary land laws prevail and is probably one saving factor\nfor Africa which unfortunately is not the case for Sri Lanka. What we need to\ntake stock of is the modus operandi that these global land grabbers are today\napplying to Sri Lanka and mobilize ourselves to ensure not an inch of Sri Lanka\u2019s\nland is illegally taken from us by legally tweaking the laws & arm-twisting\nofficials. Let us not forget the future wars will be for water & food! Nearly\nhalf of MCC\u2019s overall budget of US$6.8 billion supports what it calls\nmarket-based solutions to food security\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the investments on the pipeline across Africa questions\nhow far of these supposedly development projects are beneficial to the locals\n& to the future environment of these countries. UN World Bank & a host\nof other international agencies are partners in this crime to grab land by\nre-writing laws, registering titles to enable quicker sale, setting up\nsatellite mapping and cadastral systems to facilitate foreign investors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the MCC?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millennium Challenge Corporation is a US govt agency created by\nthe US government in January 2004 supported by both Republicans &\nDemocrats. Since 2004, US has invested more than $13b on programs under MCC\nworldwide. MCC was to replace what USAID had been tasked to do but with a\ncorporate twist & with USAID also involved. MCC programs are akin to IMF\/World\nBank Structural Adjustment Programs for every grant (not loan) is dependent on\nconditions committed by a host country & presented as a carrot. Countries\nare supposed to feel elated that they have \u2018passed\u2019 MCC scorecard for selection\nafter which US consultants fly to the country & point out areas where\n\u2018liberalization\u2019 needs to take place <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though MCC is a govt aid agency its CEO is often a private\nbusiness individual but with previous links to govt. USAID and US Trade\nRepresentative also sit on the board. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

US Secretary of State is the Chairman of MCC while the US\nSecretary of Treasury is the Vice Chairman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus the MCC is a collaboration of US Govt together with US\ncorporates using foreign aid to enter developing countries using the tool of\ndevelopment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MCC CEO John Danilovich was U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica from 2001 to 2004 &\nUS Ambassador to Brazil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MCC CEO Daniel W. Yohannes served as US ambassador to OECD from\n2014-2017<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cynthia Huger functioning as CEO of MCC from January 2019\nfollowing departure of Jonathan Nash <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grants provided claims to help a range of development\ninitiatives for developing countries but also \u2018enhances American interests\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grants are dependent on countries meeting 20 \u2018independent\u2019\n& \u2018transparent policy indicators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Countries are supposed to identify their priorities which begs\nto answer who in Sri Lanka defined Sri Lanka\u2019s priorities & how transparent\n& independent these formulations were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The implementation of compact grants is to give a sum of money\n& get the local government to make all the necessary changes within the\ncountry aligned of course to \u2018America\u2019s interests\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Compact grants are for 5 years while the Threshold programs\nare smaller grants for institutional reform in countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2004 the MCC has signed 33 grant agreements, known as compacts, with 29 countries spending $12billlion <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

MCC land projects clearly mean commodifying Africa\u2019s land &\nopening them for American agribusiness (seen in MCC projects in Mali, Ghana,\nMozambique & Benin) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2005 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madagascar  \u2013 was the\nfirst country to sign with MCC. MCC grant terminated in May 2009 due to\nmilitary coup<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honduras \u2013 MCC grant terminated in Sept 2009 due to change of\ngovt<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicaragua \u2013 MCC grant terminated in June 2009 when Sandinistas\ncame to power<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2006<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mali – awarded MCC grant of $461 million \u2013 US \u2018interest\u2019 linked\nto Mali\u2019s 2 major assets \u2013 Niger River (irrigation agriculture) &\nBamako-Senou International airport. Mali compact, put on operational hold in\nMarch 2012 after a military coup, compact was terminated in August 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka – $450 million on an \u2018economic corridor\u2019 for 200 years\nfor a compact grant of $450m (increased to $480m) targeting Sri Lanka\u2019s land,\ninfrastructure, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armenia could\nnot qualify for the Millennium Challenges Corporation grants<\/strong> because MCC provides assistance to countries with low and\nlower-middle-income economies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1\nJuly 2018 World Bank declared Armenia is a country with upper-middle-income\neconomy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WORLD\nBANK HAS CLASSIFIED SRI LANKA AS A UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS ECONOMY TOO\u2026 WHICH MEANS\nMCC CANNOT GRANT SRI LANKA.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/fas.org\/sgp\/crs\/row\/RL32427.pdf\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sri\nLanka must learn lessons from Madagascar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madagascar became the 1st<\/sup> country to\nlaunch MCC compacts. Agriculture & land titling was the focus. Madagascar\nhas a history of about 2000 years and a population of 24.4million people. The\nPortuguese landed in 1500 and France, Germany & Britian have held power\nover until full independence came in 1960. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MCC began proposals to decentralize\nMadagascar\u2019s agriland. It was in December 2008 that the natives of Madagascar\nlearnt from the media that their government which had been using MCC funds to\nallocate land certificates to thousands of citizens were SELLING LAND to\nforeign investors via the revised National Land Program (isn\u2019t this what the\nUNP Govt plans to do via the Land Privatization Bill?) 1.3million hectares of\nland had been given to a Korean company Daewoo Logistics and certificates were\ngiven to Madagascar land owners on the condition that they would make their\nland available to an Indian company Varun. The Madagascar government was\nnegotiating giving 3m hectares of land to foreign investors on a 99 year lease.\nThese 2 scenarios are most likely to happen to Sri Lankans newly given title\ndeeds to privatized state land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The anger of the Madagascar people as a result\nof the Daewoo sale leaving their farmers destitute ended up in a coup in 2009.\nMCC cancelled its project & departed. This\nis no different to the 200year Economic Corridor with electric fence from\nColombo Port to Trinco Port proposed by MCC. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nnext example is Mali <\/strong>which commenced in 2006 with a $461m compact grant \u2013 US\n\u2018interest\u2019 was in Mali\u2019s 2 major assets \u2013 Niger River & Bamako-Senou\nInternational Airport. MCC Mali has taken over some 20,000 hectares of land – the\nmost important irrigated land in Mali to foreign investors which is an\nextraterritorial zone putting its own land management & laws. Eventually\nthe people of Mali who want to irrigate land have to buy land from the MCC\ncompact foreign investors and loans given to settle in 20 years. So what has\nhappened is foreigners have bought over Mali land and agree to sell off land to\nthe natives obviously at a higher price! Those unwilling to buy land will\neventually have no land, no livelihood & no place to live! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

US firms are teaching the people of Mali how to\ngrow agriculture! So many countries have arrived to irrigate in Mali and the\nfarmers of Mali are struggling to survive & even tap resources like water\nwhich the foreign investors are taking preferential control over. Mali\u2019s\ncompact was put on operational hold in March 2012 following a military coup and\nwas terminated in August 2012. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MCC\nGhana<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pineapple production was the focus of MCC Ghana\nand demanded changes to land management. The government signed a Roadmap which\nused satellite technology to map & delimit the zone thereafter the Ministry\nof Land in Ghana declared \u2018compulsory Title Registration Area\u2019 the first such\nin Ghana. In September 2009 \u2013 100 land titles were given all with intent to\ntake over Ghana\u2019s pineapple plantations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MCC\nBenin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multinational company Stewart International\n(title insurance & mortgage service company) desired to commodify Benin\u2019s\nas well as provide technology for land record systems & selling title\ninsurance (Sri Lanka\u2019s MCC proposes a Land Bank computerized system) Foreign\ninvestors buying in developing countries want title insurance to protect their\ninvestments in instances of competing claims to land ownership or rights to\nproperty (as was seen in Madagascar MCC where the Govt sold the same lands for\nwhich they gave title deeds to their farmers) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2016 World Bank Policy Research Working paper\ndeclares that 45-75% of wealth in developing nations is made up of land &\nreal estate which has been inaccessible to global capital. Stewart\nInternational & similar foreign entities are now planning to through MCC\ncreate a \u2018global real estate market\u2019 accessible by computer! One click is all\nthat is required for foreigners to grab any piece of land or property in a\ndeveloping country under MCC compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another interesting feature is that it is US\ncompanies that are doing all the proposals for countries hired by MCC – Chemonics\n& International Land Systems compiled the Mozambique government\u2019s land\nproposal. CDM did the land proposal for Mali. Stewart International did Benin\u2019s\nland proposal. The MCC hands a grant but US companies set the stage for the\ngrabbing of land and this is what must scare Sri Lanka in looking at how and\nwhat took place under MCC compact in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Africa\u2019s leader no less corrupt than Sri\nLanka\u2019s it is no surprise that only a handful of politicians are coming out\npublicly to warn the people of the likely outcome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One major hope is that if Africa\u2019s land changes\nare merely on paper following fierce resistance from locals which are now\ngaining ground across Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is baffling how UN & associate entities\nare silent while these land grabs are taking place given that they are paid to\nlook into the welfare of the poorest too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MCC land grabbing blueprint as seen across all compact countries\nis<\/p>\n\n\n\n