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27
January
2005
Dear All,
The fifth World Social Forum
has opened its doors under the familiar theme " Another World Is
Possible" in the Brazilian City of Porto Alegre. The World Social
Forum is basically an open space for the democratic debate and exchange of
ideas about social and economic policies developed throughout the world.
Its main objective is the exchange of experiences and the creation of
propositions for the construction of a human centred society which
promotes justice, peace and equality for all. The fifth edition of the WSF
is being held from January 26th to the 31st, 2005, and Porto Alegre is
hosting the event for the fourth time, which makes the City a world
reference centre on social and economic policy debates.
A sea of human heads from nearly all the five
continents of the World congregated this afternoon under the sweltering
heat of Porto Alegre with various banners and emblems. The huge crowd
blocked streets and roads as they peacefully marched through the City
towards the Venue of the meetings chanting anti-globalisation messages. In
order to add flavour and colour to the whole procession the Brazilian
policemen and women mounted on motor bikes and horsebacks followed on and
were nicely clad in their beautiful khaki uniforms! It is estimated that between 150,000 and
170,000 people are meeting here as a way of registering their protest
against a globalisation process that is motivated and driven by profits as
opposed to human needs. Of course what cannot be denied whether we like it
or not, is the fact that globlisation is moving on and thus the question
is: how can we harness/tame the process to make it work for the majority
of the people particularly the poor whom currently are disadvantaged?
Surely no one would oppose the current advancements in human medicines
that have brought relief to millions of sick people or the high
technologies in computers, laptops, internet, DVDs, VCDs, etc that have
literally made the world become interconneted thus making one big human
village. However, what people are against is the type
of globalisation that makes them tools of production with millions if not
billions of profits being enjoyed by only a few! Why for instance, should
the toil of a poor mother in rural Africa be enjoyed by a capitalist in
another continent? Why are there global imbalances in trade that makes one
part of the world richer while the other gets impoverished? Why should
basic needs of life some of which are public in nature ( public goods like
education and health ) be rationed through an imperfect market system? Can
a market address issues of equity adequately in a poor country like
Zambia? Shouldn4t it be the responsibility of the Government to ensure
that the poor are not victimised by the market forces? These and many
others are some of the questions the civil activists are grappling with
here in Porto Alegre.
The JCTR is participating in the Forum for
the fourth time with clear messages aimed at bringing to the attention of
World leaders that development without human values is meaningless. Unless
the World can respect fundamental and basic human rights such as the
rights to food, shelter, education, etc, it cannot move forward. |
