Support to RI delegates in WTO

Support to RI delegates in WTO

The formal assembly of the World Trade Organization (WTO),
held from Feb. 24 until Feb. 28 in Geneva, was a display of
organized bullying of the developing countries by the developed.
The assembly was nothing more than a forceful effort of the
developed countries to broaden their product marketing in third
world countries, including Indonesia.

The WTO was established on the foundations of capitalism
ideology, creating an unfair international free trade system. The
WTO, having just 25 percent of developed countries and 75 percent
of third world countries as members, arranges agreements that are
obviously impoverishing developing countries.

The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) is a major agreement in
facing food and agricultural trading issues. The agreement
obliges the members of WTO to reduce domestic subsidies and
reduce export subsidies. Unfortunately, developed countries, who
are economically oriented, cheat others by maintaining most of
their subsidies and a high level of protection in the agriculture
and food sectors.

Food security in Indonesia has been unstable. An indication of
this can be seen from the lack of food available domestically so
we have to import the main staple of our diet -- rice. Strangely,
the exporting country is the United States. It is ironic that
Indonesia, as an agrarian country, has to ask for rice from an
industrial country.

Therefore, we give our highest support to the Indonesian
delegate to the formal assembly of the WTO who insisted that
products, such as rice, corn, soybeans and sugar, be categorized
as sensitive products. This opinion is reasonable since the
policy is closely linked to food security and has an influence on
it. These products really should be excluded from liberalized
products so as not to inflict losses on Indonesia's part. Rice,
corn, soybeans and sugar have to be produced and managed by
Indonesian farmers.

We need to give due attention to this matter because our
farmers have fertile land to cultivate the above crops and should
be free from the influence of international capitalism.

VERONIKA SINTA S., Advocacy of Society Transformation (ATMA),

Surakarta, Central Java