Archives

'How the Other Half Dies'

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's address to the inaugural session of the 12th SAARC Summit in Islamabad merits commendation for its extremely thought-provoking nature.

Rather than take a populist line on global economic issues, the President has probed the intricacies of these questions and exposed the iniquities of the present world economic order.

Underlining her position on these issues, is a concern for the world's poor, which makes a most salutary impact.

To begin with, the President's revelatory points on globalization need to be taken cognizance of. "Globalization" is today a buzz word in the current debate on world economic and development issues.

In fact it is repeated Ad Nauseam in the manner of a Mantra. Liberalization of trade, ready opening-up of markets, lowering of protectionist barriers, steady wooing of capital across national frontiers - all this and more coming under the tantalizing process of globalization are believed to be equalizing and enriching in their impact.

The poor countries, in particular, are believed to stand to gain by submitting to its mesmerising currents. More than a decade into this process, however, the world is no more economically equal than it used to be.

In fact, every evidence points to a widening of the gulf between the rich and poor countries under the aegis of globalization.

While reverting to a closed economy is no option for the world's poor, given its inadequacies as a development model, it is plain to see that globalization cannot be embraced with our eyes shut either.

The crux of the problem is that not all countries interact economically on an "even playing field".

Although, theoretically, market forces are said to make the prime economic decisions in a globalized economy, it is the more economically powerful states which really do so.

The rules of the current economic order are framed by these states, essentially for their benefit. So, how could one expect poor countries to thrive under these conditions?

We could, therefore, readily agree with President Kumaratunga that globalization should provide "the space and freedom" for the equal development of the poor countries. It is up to the Third World to ensure that they are not duped any more by the globalization hype of the First World and their agents.

From the foregoing arises the next point that the principles underlying the world trading system should be changed to ensure equality in global economic transactions.

On this point too the Lankan President was emphatic and persuasive. It is plain to see that governments of poor countries should struggle for the establishment of trading rules which would benefit their impoverished masses.

The rich and the powerful cannot establish subsidies for their farm products, for instance, and prevent the Third World from doing likewise. Such rules are inherently unjust and discriminatory against the poor countries.

A task for the future, is the galvanizing of the collective will and power of the poor for the ushering of equality in the global economy.

New beginning for Afghanistan

While the leaders of seven South Asian countries are meeting in Islamabad, unfolding events in regional neighbour Afghanistan cannot have escaped their attention.

Mired in war and internal conflict for much of the last two decades, Afghanistan is finally on track to become a fully-fledged member of the international community with an all-new Constitution in place.

Afghanistan's Grand Assembly on Sunday adopted the country's first post-Taliban constitution with the majority of the 502 delegates approving a presidential system for the Islamic republic.

The region, and indeed the world, welcomes this development in the earnest hope that democracy and stability would return to Afghanistan, which lost all democratic institutions and structures during the harsh Taliban rule. As the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has pointed out, the new Constitution is a "historic achievement".

The document enshrines a presidential system with a bicameral Parliament and clears the way for the country's first democratic elections, possibly this year itself.

The Constitution aims for a clear break from the Taliban era, with religious freedom, free education for both boys and girls and government-sponsored healthcare. Women will have equal rights, including the right to work, which the Talibans denied.

It does not appear to be a perfect document - some language and minority issues have not been resolved - but a start has been made.

Afghans should also resolve the debate about the national anthem and Presidential powers, with the incumbent President Hamid Karzai advocating stronger powers for the presidency.

The Taliban and Osama bin Laden, were the first targets in the US-led 'war on terror' which started on October 7, 2001 after the September 11 attacks in New York. This led to the presence of a large number of US and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Later, it took the form of a NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

Worryingly, sporadic terrorist attacks still take place in Afghanistan. The new Constitution will hopefully unify all Afghans under one banner to counter such threats to democracy and enable Afghans to govern themselves without any outside help.

www.ceylincoproperties.com

STONE 'N' STRING

www.ppilk.com

www.crescat.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager