-Caveat Lector- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jennifer Webster" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 1:39 PM Subject: (50 Years) Mass Protest Nothing New for the IMF/WB > > REPORT DETAILS PATTERN OF SOUTHERN RESISTANCE > By Brian Kenety > > PRAGUE, Sep. 25 (IPS) -- A report released today details what the authors > say is a largely ignored pattern of protests in poor countries against the > International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its policies, which has been eclipsed > by high-profile actions in the West. > > Since the "Battle of Seattle" in December, when anti-globalization > protesters laid siege to the ministerial meetings of the World Trade > Organization (WTO), there have been at least 50 separate episodes of civil > unrest in 13 poor countries, all directed at the IMF, said the report by the > London-based World Development Movement (WDM). > > The report, "States of Unrest: Resistance to IMF Policies in Poor > Countries," comes on the eve of massive protests against the Fund and the > World Bank, whose annual meetings get officially underway here tomorrow. > > The WDM said that the media have heralded the dawn of a new movement in > Europe and North America epitomized by protests aimed at the WTO, IMF and > the World Bank. > > "However, this 'new movement' portrayed by the media as students and > anarchists from the rich and prosperous global north is just the tip of the > iceberg," said co-authors, Jessica Woodroffe and Mark Ellis-Jones, in the > introduction to the report. > > "In the global south, a far deeper and wide-ranging movement has been > developing for years, largely ignored by the media," they said. > > "Millions of people around the world have been brave enough to protest > against IMF policies. From Argentina to Zambia, farmers, priests, teachers > and trade unionists have called for an end to IMF-imposed economic reforms," > said Woodroffe in a separate statement. > > She called attempts by the Fund and the Bank to dismiss protesters as rich > students "naive and insulting." > > Furthermore, Woodroffe said it was significant that these protests have > happened since the IMF announced its new commitment to poverty reduction at > its annual meetings last September. > > "The depth of opposition reveals just how far the IMF has to go if its new > poverty reduction rhetoric is to be anything more than a re-branding > exercise," she said. > > According to the WDM, of the 50 separate protests documented in the report, > conservative estimates indicate that more than half of them ended in the > deployment of riot police or the army. > > A total of 10 people have lost their lives and over 300 persons have been > injured in protests against the IMF and its policies. > > "Millions of people around the world have seen the IMF attempting to > undermine their national governments. It is seen as forcing countries into a > one-size-fits-all blue print of economic development," said Woodroffe. > > The report notes that the standard IMF package of reforms, called a > Structural Adjustment Program, often involves common elements. > > These include reducing government spending by laying off workers, freezing > salaries, and slashing funding for health, education and social services. > > Other elements are the privatization of state-run industries, leading to > massive lay-offs with no social security provision and the loss of > inefficient services to remote or poor areas; currency devaluation and > export promotion, leading to the soaring cost of imports, land use charged > for cash crops, and reliance on international commodity markets. > > Developing countries are still locked into a dependent relationship with the > international financial institutions and donor governments, said the WDM > report, which gives a detailed country-by-country summary that, it says, > shows how deeply the poor oppose the implementation of "liberalization > policies which hurt the poor." > > In Bolivia, escalating protests against the privatization of water and a 200 > percent price hike led to serious riots and calls for the government to end > IMF policies. The president was forced to call a state of emergency and six > people were killed. > > In Ecuador this January, IMF protests led to the storming of the > legislature, briefly occupied by 3,000 people, with another 10,000 > protesting outside. > > In Paraguay in June, participants in a 48-hour general strike against the > privatization of telephone, water and rail service were told it was > non-negotiable as part of the IMF package. > > In July in Nigeria, the newly elected president faced a general strike > against the deregulation of the oil sector and fuel price hikes (part of the > IMF program). > > The Nigerian House of Representatives adopted a non-binding motion urging > the federal government to suspend all activities with respect to the IMF > loan. > > The report notes that in Brazil this month, more than a million people voted > against IMF reforms in a mock referendum, and thousands followed the vote > with a mass demonstration called "Cry of the Excluded." > > "States of Unrest" details similar examples of protests in Columbia, Costa > Rica, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia, countries where the > World Development Movement says IMF policies are threatening fragile and > newly established democracies. > > Meanwhile, in the run-up to the IMF/World Bank meetings here in Prague, it > is the students and anarchists from the global North who are making world > headlines. > > About 1,000 activists took part in a march yesterday that was organized by > INPEG, a loose coalition of Czech anarchists, environmentalists and leftist > social activists united against economic globalization. > > The group is calling for the IMF and World Bank to be shut down. > > The coalition notes that the IMF itself has said that "in recent decades > nearly one-fifth of the world population have regressed in relative and > sometimes even absolute terms" and that this is "arguably one of the > greatest economic failures of the 20th century." > > But INPEG says that the international financial institutions "refuse to see > their current lending policies to poverty-ridden countries as part of the > problem. In 54 percent of countries borrowing funds from the World Bank, the > people experienced stagnating per capita income, rising poverty, declining > life expectancy, or a combination of all of the above." > > INPEG, this week, is hosting a "Counter Summit" at which activists from > around the world are discussing grassroots alternatives to the IMF/World > Bank development model. > > The coalition, which has emerged as a the main organizer of the more radical > elements protesting here, is calling on protesters to "make some noise" -- > to "bring whistles, shakers, and things to rattle" to Prague in order to > drown out the IMF/World Bank annual meetings "in a cacophony against > capital." > > "Imagine the IMF and WB delegates unable to concentrate because of the > endless cacophony outside. Imagine their weary surprise when having finally > managed to return to their hotels, the noise continues throughout the night > keeping them awake in their sterile 'luxury' rooms wondering why they are > missing out on all the fun outside!" said the group. > > A separate protest yesterday, a mock funeral procession staged by the debt > cancellation crusaders Jubilee 2000, also drew about 1,000 people. > > Organizers say that 19,000 children die each day because developing > countries must spend scarce funds to service their debts, diverting money > from basic health, education and social services. > > > =========================================================== > 50 Years Is Enough Network http://www.50years.org > To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > unsubscribe > in the body of the message. Questions? email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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