[asia-apec 40] Reflections for the Manila People's Forum on APEC

[RVerzola]

>So if there is any truth to the claims about transparency in the NGO
>community, then we must use terms that people understand. Accept or

Very well said, thank you. It's a pity that you remain nameless, as it
prevents further networking.

I also posted an article earlier referring to 'globalization' as the
rule of global corporations and a new form of colonization.

Recently, I have dropped my use of the terms TNC and MNC in favor of
'global corporations', as it makes it easier to relate this with
'globalization'.

When the West first came to Asia, Africa and Latin America, they
didn't tell the people, "Hello, we are going to colonize you.". They
said, "We're here to share our civilization with you." "We're here to
evangelize" "We're here to teach Christianity" "To bring democracy"
etc. They didn't say "We want to take your gold, and your forests."
"We want to take you as slaves.". Well, eventually they did say so,
when they were entrenched, or had enough army to be open about their
intentions.

That whole era of colonization was followed by a period of national
independence struggles. In the Philippines, we will observe on Aug. 23
this year the 100th anniversary of the open revolt against Spain,
which eventually led to a Philippine declaration of independence (but
which was aborted when we were recolonized by the U.S.).

The whole first half of the 20th century (up to the 60s and 70s for a
few) marked a whole historical period when Third World countries
gained political as well as some semblance of economic independence.
This period also saw a retreat of the colonial powers and global
corporations, as their power, influence and reach were restricted or
circumscribed by the newly independent nation-states of the Third
World. In some places, they saw their businesses simply confiscated or
nationalized. In other countries, they could continue to operate but
under some restrictions imposed by local constitutions and laws meant
to protect and develop an emerging national capitalist class. So they
had to work around such restrictions as maximum capital ownership,
hiring of local managers, local content requirements, limits to profit
repatriations, higher taxes, limits to local borrowing, etc.

However, the global corporations struck back beginning with the 70s
80's and this decade, taking advantage of several crises that weakened
Third World governments and exposed them to manipulation, like the oil
crisis, debt crisis, capital flight, and so on.

Of course, they didn't say "Now, we are going to recolonize you." They
came with a mask, as the colonizers of an earlier era did. They speak
of a "global village", "interdependence", "division of labor", and
other nice words. It helps that they have near total control of the
media and other instruments of culture, which impose a universal
vocabulary of double-speak that we find ourselves unconsciously
adopting them. 'Globalization', for one.

The first task, then, is to unmask this process of recolonization.

Regards to all.

Obet Verzola