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Welcome protest

I write to you with regard to the October 10 protest of over 20,000 traders, farmers and shopkeepers in Azad Maidan, Mumbai, against the entry of corporate retailers such as Wal-Mart. I am visiting Hyderabad from Astoria, Oregon, a small town in the rural northwest of the United States. For years, we have fought to keep Wal-Mart out of our own backyard successfully and have retained healthy, competitive business commerce. Many other towns and cities in the U.S., however, have not. Those cities that have given way to the temptations of convenience are left with desolate downtown areas with closed businesses, vacant buildings, and high unemployment. They are now spending millions of dollars in search of ways to once again develop their inner-city wastelands, while consumers continue to shop at their local Wal-Mart.

Such retailers are like athletes on steroids. They have only one goal, to win at any cost. They will financially eliminate the millions of family and independently run small businesses, which are the cornerstone of healthy trade and family welfare.

Wal-Mart and other such monopolies should have no place in cities’ retail development if they wish to continue to offer diversity of product, independent local family and small business success, and a competitive market that allows for a fair-playing field.

Julia W. Carter,

Astoria, Oregon

Since giant retailers want to exploit the huge Indian retail market for their potential profits, a great deal of propaganda is being carried out on how their entry will benefit the people. The claim is that prices will be lowered, quality will be better, customers will have a cleaner environment to shop, overall wastage will be reduced, and that farmers will get better value for their return as middlemen will be eliminated. In reality, over time, competition will be wiped out and a couple of private companies will control the market, peasants, and shopkeepers.

T. Marx,

Karaikal

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Welcome protest

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