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.