The 400-lb gorilla vs the skinny global justice movement

 Global justice movement, Latin America, Neo-liberal economics, Poverty, United States  No Responses »
Mar 062007
 

The real war in our world today is not “the war on terror” but a larger, more critical struggle for the soul of our world. A monumental battle is taking place between those who want to ram through neo-liberal economic policies that favour the large multinationals and those trying to formulate more enlightened pro-people economic policies that promote social justice and harmony with Nature and the spiritual realm. It is a struggle that is manifested in most countries around the world in different ways. Think about it. The following is an excerpt from a piece I wrote for the Malaysian Herald last August: In one corner of the ring, sits a 400-pound gorilla, the United States surrounded by its elite network power brokers, promoting a neo-liberal globalisation that largely benefits transnational corporations, widens income disparities and harms the environment. In the other corner of the ring, you have the skinny [Read more]

Beware the ‘reformers’ in sheep’s clothing

 IMF/World Bank, Neo-liberal economics, Poverty  3 Responses »
Mar 052007
 

When I attended the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Singapore, one thing I quickly realised was how even language – the common everyday words we are familiar with – could be hijacked by Big Business to mask ulterior motives. Sugar-coated, benevolent words are used to disguise the mercenary goals of major transnational corporations. Beware especially when they start talking about “reforms”. Always ask, “reforms” in whose favour: Big Business or the ordinary people? There’s a world of difference between the two. This is an excerpt from a piece I wrote for the Herald in Malaysia last September: The eeriness of it all reminded me of Orwell’s “1984” and Big Brother. What struck me most was the ‘doublespeak’ used throughout the annual meetings to hijack ordinary words to serve the hidden agenda of neo-liberal policies. Thus, there was much [Read more]

World Bank profits from poor nations

 IMF/World Bank, Neo-liberal economics, Poverty  No Responses »
Feb 282007
 

When people think of the World Bank, the image they often see in their minds is one of a global financial institution that provides loans to developing nations to raise their standard of living. That is basically the picture that the Bank’s PR people would like you to see. The reality is quite different. The World Bank actually profits from poorer countries in terms of net cashflow going into the Bank. When Inter Press Service asked me to cover the proceedings of the meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in Singapore late last year, I jumped at the chance. It was a rare opportunity to enter the “lions’ den”, so to speak, and see first-hand how the movers and shakers of the global financial architecture operate. What struck me most was the air of Big Brother all around the impressive Suntec [Read more]

Malaysia-US FTA negotiations hit turbulence

 Malaysian finance/business, Neo-liberal economics, United States  No Responses »
Feb 222007
 

It looks like the FTA negotiations between the United States and Malaysia – now in a crucial phase – are not going to be easy to conclude. For one thing, there is the whole issue of government procurement and how an FTA would affect the NEP policy of affirmative action. More crucially, an FTA would take away economic sovereignty from Malaysia, allowing Big Business from the United States to gain power and influence over the Malaysia government. Not good. It would also lead to a quickening in the pace of the neo-liberalisation of the Malaysian economy, thus aggravating the already huge divide between the rich and the poor in the country. Because I was concerned about the impact an FTA would have on Malaysia, I wrote this piece for Aliran Monthly: The problem is while the Americans are going around and putting their “spin” on how Malaysia stands to “benefit” [Read more]

Latin America has tips for Asean Charter

 Asean, Latin America, Neo-liberal economics  No Responses »
Feb 202007
 

I wrote this article for IPS because I was concerned that Asean was heading down the neo-liberal path. I felt there were many lessons that the people of Asean could learn from South America, where many countries have rejected neo-liberalism after the devastating impact it has had over there. Moreover, the Asean Charter is being drafted even though many in civil society have not been thoroughly consulted. PENANG, Malaysia, Jan 24 (IPS) – Over the last two months, South America and South-East Asia have taken huge steps forward towards creating two distinct regional blocs. But the contrasting principles in their respective blueprints for integration reflect the different political and economic philosophies driving the integration plans. Earlier this month, leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Cebu in the Philippines and approved a blueprint for a charter, which will lay the foundation for a new ASEAN [Read more]

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