>From: New Worker Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >I have had quite a few requests for the packet of info from our Czech >comrades. It seems that lots of New Worker readers will be there! :-) > >Below is a copy of a special edition of Postmark Prague edited by our >comrade Ken Biggs who lives in Prague. It will be distributed to overseas >visitors by KCSM members. > >Richard. > >WELCOME TO PRAGUE! STOP THE IMF! > >POSTMARK PRAGUE No.316 >Founded in Prague, Czechoslovakia, June 1991 >Vol.10 No.7 * SEPTEMBER 2000 > >CAN THE IMF BE REFORMED? >The question of the day is: Can the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and >the World Bank (WB) be reformed? Can they be transformed into >democratically controlled institutions serving the interests of the >majority of the world's people? > >Young radicals like the Czech student Alice Dvorska, press spokesperson of >the Initiative against Economic Globalisation, are clear: "They are >unreformable institutions representing the interests of transnational >capital." > >But some more established theoreticians on the Left (and also even on the >Right) are calling for reform of the world's financial institutions. >They're right to a certain extent: there's nothing in the world that can't >be changed. But the reformability of any kind of institution is limited by >the nature of its role. > >If the role of the IMF and WB is to enforce global capital's domination, >then the only reforms possible are those which allow them to enforce its >dominance more effectively. > >* Can a tiger be made into a vegetarian? >The most drastic forms of pauperisation can be modified on the principle >that you don't milk a milch cow dry. But that's all. Any attempt to >fundamentally change the character of these institutions - by transforming >them into democratically controlled institutions serving the interests of >the majority of humanity - is like trying to turn a tiger into a >vegeterian. It's just not on. The tiger's stomach simply can't cope with a >vegetable diet. Its organism is structured for hunting and meat-eating, and >if a tiger's a tiger, he has to have his meat. > >For example, the IMF and the World Bank talk about "cancelling" the debts >of the poorest countries. But when we get down to the nitty-gritty, we find >that they will only agree to this if the usual IMF conditions are accepted: >more privatisation, including privatisation of public services, and more >cuts in public spending - i.e. further closures (in the poorest countries!) >of cash-strapped institutions providing health care and education etc. > >* Private ownership > The IMF's organism is geared to maximising the profits of transnational >corporations which want the rest of the world completely privatised at >knock-down prices. For the IMF to be capable of behaving otherwise, it >would have to become a totally different organisation. > >The deeper meaning of the struggle against the IMF, the World Bank and >globalisation is that it is a struggle against private ownership which >inevitably leads to concentration of capital in the hands of transnational >corporations, on the one hand, and to mass poverty, on the other. The >leaders of the IMF won't agree to this, no matter how often they say they >want to help the poor. > >*This is an abridged translation of an article by Norbert Stary which >appeared in the Czech left-wing daily Halo Noviny on August 23. > >THE RICH GET RICHER, AND THE POOR�? > >The Prague-based World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), which represents >more than 400 million members, characterised the results of IMF/World Bank >policies like this at its 14th Congress in New Delhi in March of this year: > >As we enter a new century and a new millenium, the working people and their >trade unions all over the world are confronting a worsening world economic >and >social situation. Economic disparities between the rich and poor countries >as well as between rich and poor people within countries have vastly >increased. > >The social consequences of the worsening economic crisis and financial >turmoil undermine economic security, social standards and basic human rights. > >� Millions have lost jobs and millions more are threatened with total >deprivation of their means of livelihood. One-third of the world labour >force is either unemployed of under-employed. > >� Mass poverty is increasing everywhere and has become all the more >widespread as the financial crisis in East Asia and its worldwide >repercussions resulted in the cutting of global output by an estimated >2,000 billion dollars in 1998-2000. Sixty countries have been getting >steadily poorer since 1980. > >� More than one billion people are unable to meet even their most basic >human needs. Over 800 million are under-nourished and hungry. Nearly 60 per >cent of the population of developing countries - more than 2.5 billion >people - have no access to basic sanitation and 30 per cent cannot get >safe, drinkable water. > >As the Human Development Report 1999 issued by the UN Development Programme >points out, inequality within and between nations has been rising >drastically since the early 1980s. > >� The income gap between the fifth of the world's people living in the >richest countries and the fifth in the poorest was 74 to 1 in 1997 - up >from 60 to 1 in 1990 and 30 to 1 in 1960. > >� By the late 1990s, the fifth of the world's people living in the highest >income countries had 86 per cent of world GDP, 82 per cent of world export >markets and 68 per cent of foreign direct investment, while the bottom >fifth had just one per cent in each case. > >� The OECD countries, with 19 per cent of global population, have 71 per >cent of global trade in goods and services, 58 per cent of foreign direct >investment and 91 per cent of all internet users. > >� The world's 200 richest people more than doubled their net worth in the >four years to 1998 - to more than one trillion dollars. > >The policies imposed through the IMF and the World Trade Organisation in >favour of the transnational corporations and financial groups have >destabilised national economies, worsening the problems of unequal trade >and economic relations and adding to the outflow of resources from >developing countries, besides affecting the sovereignty of nations, causing >job losses, problems of health and educational services, adversely >affecting the rights of women, etc. > >The IMF and WTO totally ignore Commitment 8 of the 1995 Copenhagen World >Summit for Social Development "that when structural adjustment programmes >are agreed to they include social development goals, in particular >eradicating poverty, promoting full and productive employment, and >enhancing social integration." > >"Have a globalised nice day!" >The Czech Republic's Social Democratic government has mobilised 11,000 >police and 1,600 soldiers to help keep "law and order" during the IMF/World >Bank conference. > >In addition to army-supplied armoured vehicles, helicopters and cranes (!), >6,000 Prague police - two-thirds of its total strength - will be on >conference-related duties, reinforced by 5,000 police brought into Prague >from all over the Czech Republic. > >Since right-wing controlled borough councils in Prague are urging >pensioners, schoolchildren (who've been given a week's holiday) and >anybody else who can to leave town during the conference, Prague's thriving >criminal community are looking forward to a bumper weekend. There will also >be gangs of pickpockets anxious to relieve demonstrators of their wallets >and purses on crowded public transport and during protest events. > >Prague's theatres are being closed for the week, presumably as part of the >attempt to clear the streets and give the forces of "law and order" a clear >run at "foreign extremists". > >* Media extremism >With more than a touch of irony (given its support for IMF/World Bank >extremism), it's the mostly foreign-owned media which has been busiest in >stirring up xenophobic hostility to the "tens of thousands of foreign >radicals" who will be in Prague for the IMF conference. Stories of an >advance guard of "foreign extremists" training local opponents of >capitalist globalisation in the use of Molotov cocktails and other weapons >have appeared in the press. >The government too has played its part in whipping up tension in the run-up >to the conference, with interior minister Stanislav Gross (a former "velvet >revolutionary") well to the fore. He has already publicly endorsed the >action of his police in brutally breaking up several peaceful anti-IMF >street protests this year, most notoriously on May Day. > >And on August 31 there was a well-publicised "mock battle" involving riot >police, British-trained mounted police, police dogs and water cannon to >demonstrate their crowd control "skills". > >A group of senior Czech police officers was sent on a course to the USA >earlier this year "to learn the lessons of Seattle" and other protests >against capitalist globalisation. The globalised FBI has recently opened an >office in Prague, and they and 600 other foreign "specialists" have been >involved in preparing the police for their "law and order" duties during >the IMF conference. > >* Violence >There are those who would welcome violence in the streets of Prague during >the conference. They plan to use it against the Left in important regional >and Senate elections which take place shortly after the IMF conference (in >November) and to support the idea of a ban on left-wing and militant trade >union organisations. So beware of provocateurs! > > >This is a special IMF conference edition of Postmark Prague, a 16 page >monthly English-language review of political developments in the Czech and >Slovak Republics, which aims to promote international solidarity with Left, >working class and other social movements in these countries. For a free >sample copy, write to Postmark Prague, PO Box 42, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech >Republic. (e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]) . >New Communist Party of Britain Homepage > >http://www.newcommunistparty.org.uk > >A news service for the Working Class! > >Workers of all countries Unite! > > > > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform mailing list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism mailing list for global anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
