Water is mentioned in the Bible 722 times. It is mentioned less than God, love, Jesus and heaven. Water is however mentioned more than hope, faith, prayer and worship. Right from the beginning of Genesis and reading through to Revelations, water plays a crucial role. Water is first mentioned in the Bible When God talks of the creation of the world. ‘’The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.’’ Gen 1:2. This means that before there was anything in this world; land, life, democracy, dictatorship, terrorism, Christianity, Islam, there was water. What therefore is water that predates everything on the planet and in the universe as a whole? What is the significance of water to life, science, nature and of course, God? How do ‘’democracies’’ and ‘’dictatorships’’ treat water? Is water a free good or is it to be traded for a profit? Does our use of water depend on our ability to pay for it or does it depend on our humanity? Once again the answers to these questions are shocking and heartbreaking. Science tells us that 71% of planet earth is made up of water and accounts for every single life form. Only 2.5% of water is fresh water, good for human consumption. It is this 2.5% of fresh water that is estimated to be worth $60 billion in the profitable sale of bottled water. The significance of water in the Bible is numerous. Water signifies the physical and spiritual birth. Water signifies the Word of God as well as Purification and Cleansing. Water is used to show God’s deliverance and Rescue as well as blessing from God. Gen 1:20 God said Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that have life... During the birth of a child, the breaking of water signifies the coming of the new born. Jesus’ ministry started after His baptism in the river Jordan. Jesus’ first miracle is turning water into wine. Water was used to save the Jews as slaves from the land of Egypt. The same water was used to defend the Jews from the advancing Egyptian military. Our baptism as Christians depends on the use of water. Is salvation to be bought with money? Is life to be traded for a profit? If the answers to these questions are obvious, why therefore is water to be sold for a profit? Biology tells us 75% of our body is made up of water. Ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia relied on water. Many cities today like New York, London, Montreal, Paris, Buenos Aires etc have succeeded due to the proximity to water resources. It should be of no surprise that even the search of extraterrestrial life depends so much on the availability of water. Once again, water is life. The question again therefore is that should this important resource be trades for a profit or should it be available for free? Another way to answer these questions is to refer to the founding documents of the supposedly freest nation on the planet. ‘’...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...’’ American declaration of independence The articulation of these words by the founding fathers stands for the affirmation that the Creator has endowed in us certain rights regardless of our income level, ethnicity, religion, system of governance etc. It is by no mistake that life is the first unalienable rights. One needs to first of all have life before gaining liberty and then of course pursue happiness. One cannot have life without having water. Water, be it from the Creation or by evolution gave birth to all living and non living things. Water is life. The freest nation on the planet however believes water should be traded under the notion of free market. They are thus saying that water which is life is not unalienable. They are going fundamentally contrary to their own founding principles. The founding fathers will tear their clothes in agony if they are to see America today. The declaration of independence also stands for the affirmation that ‘’...governments are instituted amongst men...’’ In other words, governments are artificial bodies created by men to protect their ‘’unalienable rights.’’ The declaration gives absolute regards to the natural law and social justice. The natural law stands for the order of things in the universe- water, life, humans, governments... In a nut shell, the natural law restricts us all including the government. No one including any government should trade with water because it is unalienable. It is therefore time to start to tell the ‘’pro humanitarian’’ NATO that we in Africa need free water before liberty, democracy and the pursuit of happiness. Over the decades, the availability of fresh water has improved substantially in all parts of the world. While research indicates that the trend will continue, other factors like climate change, corruption, political mismanagement, imperialism and hegemony threatens this progress. While 1.6 billion people have gained access to fresh water over the decades, 1.2 billion people on the planet still lack access to clean drinking water. A further 2.8 billion people lack access to proper sanitation and a further 2.2 million people died in 2000 as a result of preventable water borne diseases. A 2004 research by the UK charity, Water Aid, reveals that a child dies every 15 seconds due to preventable water related illnesses. Every single research on the planet reveals that a majority of these deaths are found in developing countries with a good proportion of their population living on less than $1 per day. The pro ‘’humanitarian’’ and ‘’democratic’’ NATO has always come up with ingenious solutions to deal with the water crisis. The privatisation of basic utilities even to the most vulnerable of people is the way forward. In Cameroon, the Electricity Corporation was privatised to the American company, AES. It took a massive public opinion to stand against the privatisation of the water corporation. Cameroonians are still waiting to benefit from the privatisation of the Electricity Corporation since 2001/2002. World Bank spending on water and sanitation in Sub Sahara Africa declined by a staggering 75% between 1993 and 1997. Over the same period, funding for privatisation to take over basic utilities rose from $45 million to $687 million (1427% increase). Despite all of these huge investments in basic utilities like water, the UN estimates that by 2025, more than half the population in developing countries will lack access to clean drinking water. Many reports indicate that in few decades to come, water will be a result of many wars. As we speak, there are current crises in the world with the root cause being water. Many researchers have concluded that it is rather economic hardship than sectarian divide that accounts for many conflicts in the world. In the midst of economic hardship, the ‘’them’’ vs ‘’us’’ divide naturally erupts. It should therefore be of no surprise that the greatest conflicts in the world are found in Africa and in the Middle East, where there is the most acute physical and economic water scarcity. It is the application of such imperialistic policies that have led to the real cost of basic utilities in the developing world to be four times more expensive when compared to the developed world. Research have also indicated that water crisis is very well linked to per capita income and hence explains why it is the poorest countries of the world that have the most acute water crisis. To put it in simple terms, water is sold for a profit to people who cannot even afford. What developing countries need is free water. One cannot trade a natural right for profit and at the same time stands for the affirmation of freedom even if it means imposing it via military actions. After ‘’dictator’’ Gadaffi ceased power in a bloodless coup from a Western backed corrupt king, he immediately nationalised all the oil in Libya and quickly declared that water is a human right to all Libyans. According to global research, Gadaffi spent close to $30 billion on the Great River Water project which was the largest single project in the world as of 1991. It is still the largest irrigation project in the world till today. Global Research has reported that Gadaffi’s dream was to make Libya water and food sufficient. The first three stages are the largest and have been completed and supply water to all Libyans at no charge. The last two stages were under way and the objective was to transform a desert Libya into agricultural land. The entire project was solely funded by the Libyan government. Besides South Korea supplying some few equipments, every other instrument and expertise used was locally supplied. While Gadaffi referred to the project as the eighth wonder of the world, the West referred to the project as ‘’ a pet project and the pipe dream of a mad dog.’’ During the inauguration of the third phase, Gadaffi said ‘’ this is the biggest answer to America and all the evil forces who accuse us of being concerned with terrorism. We are only concerned with peace and progress. America is against life and progress; it pushes the world toward darkness.’’ After the completion of the third phase, Global Research reports that Western threats and sanctions towards Libya more than tripled. During the NATO assault on Libya, the eighth wonder $30 dollar largest irrigation world project of the ‘’mad dog’’ was bombed. The water supplies to 70% of Libyans have been compromised. The dream to make Libya water and food sufficient is over. Of course the ‘’pro humanitarian’’ NATO have ingenious plans for Libya just as they have for any other developing country. The implementation of the ‘’free market’’ policies is the golden solution. How did the world come to the point where fresh water is being sold to the most vulnerable of people? How did the world come to the point where large corporations like Nestlé publicly declare that the future of the profitable sale of bottled water lies in developing countries? How did the world come to the point where billions of dollars are spent on wars all in the name of ‘’freedom’’ while a basic utility like water is sold to the same people who live on less than a dollar per day? Words like free market, laissez faire, free movement of goods and services have been used to sell the capitalistic model we live in today. Privatization of basic utilities like water is some of the conditions attached to IMF and World Bank loans to developing countries. Who on earth will not want to achieve ‘’free market’’, free economy, free movement of goods and services, free bla bla bla ? Anyone who does not want to be part of this free market’’ is branded a mad dog and destined for assassination. Ladies and gentlemen, is it not ironical that everything we all worship today was made possible by an assassination? In His final moments on the cross of Calvary, Jesus said those last words that confirm Him as a redeemer and not a condemner. ‘’...God forgive them for they know not what they do...’’ But the bombers of this world know what they do. We as Christians can only pray that may God in His infinite mercy truly have mercy on their souls because we are better men. Out of nothing we can build massive structures. Even though we live on less than a dollar a day, we can still afford to laugh. Even though we lack the basic building blocks of life like water, we are builders and not destroyers. There is strength in building. We are indeed better men. Revelations 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. Amen God grand us the serenity to accept the things we can’t change, courage to change the things we can and wisdom to know the difference. Amen.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 17:11:41 +0000
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