Driven to the wall by trade inequality
 

Increasingly known for its unfair and unjust dealings, the World Trade Organization (WTO) of recent times is under heavy barrage from all quarters - a pressure state never ever witnessed. Currently, the spotlight falls on Hong Kong where the world body is seated - the summit itself giving much discomfort to industrialized nations whom the poor nations see as sole perpetrators of an unfair, unjust global trading system.

The grave distaste towards subsidies and import tariffs most detrimental to developing countries has driven farmers, fishermen, workers, women, immigrants and the like - all of peripheral entity to storm summit headquarters whenever and wherever it assembles.

In one voice they proclaim the industrialized countries' unjust trading that favours only multinational companies resulting in driving up the wall as it were the world's underclass.

Subsidies and import tariffs of the First World are not well received by poor nations that see in such much injustice brought on small timers out there in the periphery of such entities as for instance farmers, small-time dairy owners, fishermen and small scale industrialists inclusive of other smaller producers.

According to them, though industrialized nations and their appendages - the financial institutions maintain an uplift for the poor, in reality things run to contrary.

At long last, international force is on the US as regards the vehemently opposed Kyoto Protocol. Likewise, we have still to see the pressure poorer nations could inflict on the First World towards equitable trade distribution.

This trading pattern though economic no doubt has its spill over effect on the global social scene among which are persistent poverty, hunger, malnutrition and resultant crime. Societal stratification intensifies as the gap between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' widen. Social frustration, restlessness and mental imbalance rises.

Against this backdrop it brings to columnist's mind Dr. Gamini Corea - one-time Secretary General UNCTAD who fought single handedly espousing the cause of poor nations. That was the time of just one voice that reverberated within the UN's geographical enclave. Today hundreds and thousands team up outside the WTO rendezvous consecutively wherever they meet worldwide to express unequivocal dissatisfaction over the 'world's rich' trading policies.

In March 2005 the US fell face flat consequential to a defeat in its trade dispute with Brazil over cotton subsidies. This certainly could impact Europe and other nations to be more innovative and more creative in their offerings.

Textile Quotas as is widely known though helpful to developing countries in economic elevation at least to some degree, now stands with the lid on it jeopardising future economic growth in these underclass entities.

Those that resign to their fate in accepting inequality may well open their eyes to what the result would be if perceived discrimination persisted.

There's nothing more dangerous to societal well-being other than an inactive, fatalistic, collective social force - certainly strong and vehement contributors to evil's initiators.

The importance of shared values and equalitarianism strikes high moral ground when that type of force energises whatever centrifugal force to impress upon rich nations, their obligations towards those from whom their sustenance itself springs. Selfishness, aggrandizement and whatever is in sincerely motivated as poetic justice would have it meets with the expected consequences.

This is so not only as regards nations but individuals as well. After all, one cannot sow wheat and get barley nor rice from oats.