Politics of Mnc

Politics of Mnc

“Under colonialism the only thing that that developed were dependency and underdevelopment”
- Walter Rodney#

From the 17th Century European states began exploring the world for colonies, ruling by treaty or force several territories. By early 1990s all of these countries had gained independence, but this was not the end of colonization - it was the beginning. In my opinion, when the colonial structures began to fail, the imperialists felt that colonization was costing more than the return it provided. Having exploited the natural resources of the territories almost completely, there was no need to finance public colonial companies for the meager remnants of the land. Also, the constant uprisings and “calls for freedom” made it a hassle to govern. The colonialists packed and left, however, they did not overlook the tremendous market opportunities that the colonies had. For this reason they revamped themselves and returned to the region as MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATIONS. In essence, there isn’t much difference between colonial governments and MNCs - both transcend their national borders to pursue business interests in other regions to benefit their mother country.

MNCs perpetuate neo-colonialism by utilizing previous instruments of colonialism, exploitation of resources in developing regions and misuse of power. Western ideologies are infiltrated into the culture of the third world through MNCs who use this influence as a means of exploitation.

MNCs utilize the doings of the colonial administration to their advantage - Colonial governments converted the colonies into a ready buyer and seller for their produce. British American Tobacco Co, is an example. Tobacco farming was introduced in Kenyan farms during colonial period. BAT uses these resources as well as the cheap labor that is widespread in the region. These products are sold to the population in these countries. Profits make their way to the mother countries. In Ghana, Firestone uses the plant to...

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