Indonesia's Dita among star speakers at world forum

Indonesia's Dita among star speakers at world forum

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Mumbai, India

Indonesian labor activist Dita Sari became one of the stars of
the World Social Forum on Monday when she addressed a packed
conference on globalization, and economic and social security,
along with U.S. Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and
Egyptian Neo-Marxian thinker Samir Amin.

Dita, an activist from the National Federation of Indonesian
Labor Unions (FNPBI), spoke confidently right after Samir Amin,
urging solidarity from public pressure groups in the
industrialized countries to support labor movements in developing
countries.

She emphasized that as globalization gathered pace, workers in
advanced and developing countries were facing increasing
insecurity as they could be fired at any time without proper
compensation. Meanwhile, the privatization of state enterprises,
as championed by global organizations like the World Bank, was
also shrinking employment opportunities.

The winner of Asia's version of the Nobel prizes, the Ramon
Magsaysay awards, then appealed for massive international
pressure to protect workers. "The U.S. stopped the Vietnam war
because millions of people in the U.S. opposed the war," she
said, highlighting the power of pressure groups.

Stiglitz reiterated his opposition to the International
Monetary Fund's (IMF) economic reform programs because of their
adverse effects on social and economic security. He also
criticized the World Bank and World Trade Organization (WTO),
which he described as being responsible for hurting the interests
of millions of workers, including those who lived in the rich
countries like the United States.

"The WTO should not push for capital market globalization
because that will increase insecurity. And that will not be the
answer for economic growth in the developing countries," said
Stiglitz.

While Stiglitz proposed a reformed agenda for the WTO, Amin,
voiced a more radical opinion, saying he did not see the need for
multilateral organizations.

"The IMF is a collective ministry of propaganda, the WTO is a
collective ministry of colonialism," said Amin.

The boiling heat and swirling dust burned the spirit of the
more than 100,000 participants at the forum on the fourth day of
the six-day annual summit. The streets of the city, whose name
was changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1996, were full of
protesters from around the globe to protest against war, big
business, unfair global trade and the gender and caste
oppression.

Up to 260 large and small seminars and workshops were held to
discuss a vast range of topics ranging from technology to the
rights of indigenous people.

A number of Indonesian activists like Yanuar Nugroho from
Business Watch Indonesia, Longgena Ginting from the Indonesian
Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Bonnie Setiawan from the
Institute for Global Justice, Wardah Hafidz from the Urban Poor
Consortium and Henry Saragih from the Federation of Indonesian
Peasant Unions were also scheduled to give their insights later
on Monday evening.

This is the first time the annual "anti-imperialist" meeting
is being held in Asia. The previous three forums were held in
Brazil. The forum is regarded as a counterpoint to the annual
World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland. The five-day
Davos meeting will start on Wednesday, on the same day the Mumbi
meeting ends.

Meanwhile, anti-globalization activists called on Monday for
an end to discrimination against minority communities such as the
Dalits in India.

"We have rights, too," read a placard carried by a group of
Dalits, also known as untouchables, who occupy the lowest rung in
the Hindu caste system that was outlawed in 1955 but is still
prevalent across India.

The Dalits, with their feet chained to symbolize oppression,
marched through the streets of India's financial capital Bombay
-- the venue of the six-day forum.

"Treat us like people. Give us dignity," they shouted, as
quoted by the Associated Press.

In separate meetings, war survivors, including those from Iraq
and Afghanistan, recounted their experiences and said that women,
children and minority communities were the worst hit by
conflicts.