New songs for the long and difficult march

As multiple crisis of economy devastates millions of poor and excluded people, we saw feeble responses from governments in shape of undersized offers of social protection, to support people in facing a crisis of civilizational magnitudes.

Occupying central attention of our governments were attempts to resurrect economy back on its “business as usual” and  “unequalizing” road, through what are now commonly known as fiscal stimulus packages.

In the global north, with US leading the pack, trillions of dollars of public resources has been redirected to recapitalize banks, assert control over ailing financial institutions and underwrite guarantees to deposits and assets of rich.

Responses from the least developed economies in global south, in Africa, Asia and Latin America were powerless, given the limitations of economic and political autonomy, they face.

As African Development Bank then articulated “Africa is trying but the scope to do more is very limited”, given the body blows African economy received with the down turn of global economy.

Larger developing countries in global south such as China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam promoted responses of some significance in relation to national GDPs. 

Such efforts were mainly oriented towards augmenting public investments in infrastructure especially in rural areas, social protection and to a lesser extent on the direct support to ailing sectors.  

Facing elections in 2010, the Indonesian government announced a US$4.5 billion (approximately 1 percent of GDP) fiscal stimulus package for investments in infrastructure and selected export sectors, while devoting part of stimulus to promote direct cash transfers to about 20 million poorest families, from the money saved from cuts in direct fuel subsidies in 2008.

The Hopeful Family Program (PKH), Indonesian Government’s flagship Social Protection program, remains only a form of conditional cash transfers, allowing each poor family an annual cash assistance at minimum levels.

"Biasanya ibu-ibu kalau beli cabe itu Rp 1.000, bahkan ada yang Rp 500. Bingung melayaninya, kalau beli Rp 1000, mau dikasih 5 biji engga tega. Lebih baik, untuk sementara waktu engga dagang cabe aja," kata Rudi, pedagang sayur yang biasa berkeliling menjajakan dagangan sayurannya di Perumahan Melong Asih, Kelurahan Melong, Kota Cimahi.( http://www.suarajabar.com/)
“Minggu lalu saya bertanya bahwa harga cabe di petani Rp 17 ribu, walaupun ada peningkatan mungkin Rp 20 ribu. Pada saat sampai di pedagang, harga menjadi Rp 50 ribu atau Rp 60 ribu, tergantung dari pedagangnya. Tren seperti ini selalu ada pada saat musim hujan,” ungkap menteri pertanian, Gamal Nasir.

Ditambahkan pula bahwa penyebab adanya gap tersebut adalah karena musim hujan sehingga cabai akan lebih mudah busuk jika terkena air. Hal ini akan menyebabkan pedagang menanggung kerugian yang besar. Selain itu, ongkos transportasi juga ikut naik. Faktor ketiga yang menyebabkan gap harga seperti yang diungkapkan Gamal adalah bunga bank relatif tinggi untuk pedagang yang meminjam uang di bank. Faktor lainnya adalah adanya pungutan-pungutan yang terjadi di lapangan. ( Jakarta city directory.com)

Cancún y la resistencia a la barbarie ambiental

Luis Hernández Navarro

México será anfitrión de la 16 Conferencia de las Partes (COP16) de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático (CCNUCC) en Cancún del 29 de noviembre al 10 de diciembre. Curiosa ironía: la más importante reunión internacional sobre medio ambiente se efectuará en un país ambientalmente devastado, y en una ciudad que ejemplifica todo lo que no hay que hacer para cuidar la ecología.

En el mapa de los modernos enclaves urbanísticos de la globalización Cancún ocupa un lugar privilegiado. Sol y sombra del desarrollo desbocado, la ciudad es, simultáneamente un emblema de la modernidad y del atraso. Cancún, nido de serpientes en lengua prehispánica, nació por decisión gubernamental hace casi cuatro décadas. Una isla desierta, separada de tierra firme por estrechos canales que unían la mar con varias lagunas, y una ribera rodeada de selva virgen y playas poco exploradas –todos de enorme belleza natural– fueron convertidas en el polo de atracción turístico más importante del país.

South People's Solidarity Network conference

On July 5-8, activists from Southern countries gathered for the South-South People’s Solidarity Network (SSPSN) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Taking up the theme “Development Paradigms and Strategy for Action–Response from the South”, the conference was organised by the Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) and the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation (VPDF), which was sponsored by Action Aid International (AAI). The previous conference was held in Hanoi in 2007.

Around 28 people attended representing people’s organisations in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

What the Dickens? — a tale of two Scrooges

By Christopher Phelps

"Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of                         common comforts, sir."

"Are there no prisons?", asked Scrooge. 

"Plenty of prisons", said the gentleman, laying down the pen again. 

"And the union workhouses?", demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?" 

"They are. Still", returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were not." 

"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?", said Scrooge. 

"Both very busy, sir." 

"Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course", said Scrooge. "I am very glad to hear it."

In holiday advertisements and popular culture, Ebenezer Scrooge has come to stand as the symbol of insufficient seasonal zeal — and thus the hero of cynics who grumble, "Bah! Humbug!" when confronted by the madness of the waning month of the year.

Originally Scrooge was so much more: a cold-hearted tightwad whose selfish money-grubbing typified the rising social class of Victorian capitalism.

Americans skepticism about trade deals.

Trade is a tough sell in the United States, especially during tough economic times in hard-hit manufacturing communities where workers tend to view trade pacts as drawing American jobs overseas. A survey released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center found substantial skepticism about trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement and the policies of the World Trade Organization. The poll found that 35 percent of adults said that free-trade agreements had been good for the United States, while 44 percent said they had been bad.
While most Americans say that increased trade with Canada, Japan and European Union countries — as well as Brazil, India and Mexico — would be good for the United States, reactions to increased trade with China and South Korea were more mixed, according to the survey, conducted Nov. 4-7 among 1,255 adults. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 4 percent.

Dikutip dari :
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/world/asia/12prexy.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp

6th ASEAN PEOPLE’S FORUM

We, more than 700 delegates representing people’s organizations from ASEAN countries gathered together at the 6th ASEAN Peoples’ Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam, from 24-26 September 2010 under the theme “Solidarity and Action for a People-Oriented ASEAN” have discussed and concluded the following:

We reaffirm the fundamental principles of people-centered sustainable development, democratic governance, human rights, sovereignty of peoples, dignity and the best interests of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups in the pursuit of economic, social, gender and ecological justice so as to bring peace and prosperity to the Southeast Asian region.