The Dominion - Sandy Hager

Water Privatization Plan Goes Awry in Tanzania

Thu, 26 May 2005 22:33:33 +0000

A water privatization plan in Tanzania backed by the IMF, World Bank, and the British government and run by a British-German-Tanzanian conglomerate named City Water Services has been canceled by the Tanzanian government just two years into the project's ten year contract.

A Tanzanian government official cited in Forbes magazine claims that the privatization plan, which was to provide better water service to the country's capital Dar es Salaam, has in fact led to the deterioration of the city's water supply. The official blames City Water Services for investing only half the amount needed to replace worn out parts in the city's water supply system and to expand the water supply network.

Peter Hardstaff, head of policy for the World Development Movement, blames not only the company but also questions the development policies of the world's financial institutions and western governments, which are the key proponents of water privatization in the developing world.

"This is yet another example of water privatization failing to deliver clean water to poor communities. Rich country governments and the IMF and World Bank must abandon their support for this disastrous policy. It is a scandal that the UK aid budget, money that should go to reduce poverty, was used to push water privatization in Tanzania," explained Hardstaff to Accra's Public Agenda newspaper.

The Guardian reports that the collapse of this project will throw into question many other water privatization projects around the world. The newspaper notes that demonstrations and increased "resentment against private water monopolies" are already occurring in South America, Africa, the Caribbean and Asia as more and more western companies are accused of raising prices beyond what most in the developing world can afford.

allAfrica.com: UK Water Company Kicked Out of Privatisation Contract

Forbes: Tanzania Scraps Deal With Water Company

Business Week: Tanzania scraps deal with water company

The Guardian: Flagship water privatisation fails in Tanzania

Brazil Refuses $40 Million US for AIDS Funding

Tue, 17 May 2005 17:58:27 +0000

Protesting demands that it agree to a declaration condemning prositution, Brazil became the first country to reject funding under the United States' AIDS programme.

As a result Brazil forfeits the possibility of receiving $40 million US in new AIDS funding, claiming the declaration is actually counteractive in the attempt to eliminate prosititution and the spread of AIDS.

"This would be entirely in contradiction with Brazilian guidelines for a programme that has been working very well for years. We are providing condoms and doing a lot of prevention work with sex workers, and the rate of infection has stabilized and dropped since the 1980s." Explains Sonia Correa, co-chair of the International Working Group on Sexuality and Social Policy, in a recent Guardian report.

The US demand for such declarations is not isolated to the Brazilian case. As the Guardian reports, in general, "most US AIDS funding goes directly to organisations working in the field and much will be channelled through faith organisations that back the no-abortion, pro-abstinence and anti-prostitution stance of the US neo-conservatives."

The same report suggests that Brazil was able to resist these demands because of strong HIV/AIDS policies and a "strong partnership between government and non-governmental organizations that encouraged a united response to Washington."

Correa sees Brazil's decision to refuse US funds as setting an important precedent but warns that other countries may not be strong enough to resist US influence. "The US is doing the same in other countries -- bullying, pushing and forcing -- but not every country has the possibility to say no."

The Guardian: Brazil spurns US terms for Aids help

AlterNet:Brazil to U.S.: Keep Your Money

Reuters: Brazil spurns US AIDS cash over prostitution issue

Reuters: US AIDS Policy: More Harm Than Good, Says Brazil

BBC: Brazil turns down US Aids funds

Amnesty for 700, 000 Illegal Workers in Spain

Wed, 11 May 2005 21:29:29 +0000

In a move that reverses recent trends in Europe to crackdown on illegal immigrants, Spain's socialist government announced an amnesty programme that will allow up to 90 per cent (700, 000) of the migrant workers in the country to apply for residence permits so long as their current employers provide them with at least six-month work contracts.

Speaking of the amnesty programme, Spain's pro-socialist El País newspaper was supportive, considering it "the only way to deal with situations that are humanely and socially unsustainable and which harm the economy."

According to Giles Tremlett of the Guardian, the amnesty initiative will help to combat exploited migrants who work "secretly and fearfully in the black economy." Once workers' families are brought into the equation, this will amount to approximately one million people no longer forced to hide from Spanish immigration authorities.

Tremlett also suggests that Spain's booming economy has benefited greatly from the influx of migrant workers, a number which is now the highest in Europe and has quadrupled to 3.7 million since 2000. Immigrants have not only helped curb Spain's population decline, but have fueled consumer growth. Further, the social security contributions of those granted amnesty will help to offset "a looming pensions crisis."

The Guardian: Spain grants amnesty to 700,000 migrants

The Dominion Weblog: When in Spain?

BBC: Spain launches immigrant amnesty

New York Times: Spain: Amnesty For Migrants

Washington Times: France adds to EU's immigration debate

Human Rights Watch: Closed-door Immigration Policy Is Shameful Vision

National Housewives' Union Established in Venezuela

Thu, 05 May 2005 11:10:19 +0000

Changes made in 1999 to Venezuela's constitution resulted in the recognition of women's unwaged housework as economically productive, and as a result, Venezuelan housewives became entitled to social security benefits.

These unprecedented changes, according to Selma James of the Global Women's Strike, have led to the empowerment of women, who are now becoming key participants in the grassroots developments associated with the Bolivarian Revolution and the government of Hugo Chavez.

This progress has been taken a step further with the development of a National Housewives' Union, which, independent journalist Benjamin Bangl explains, "provides legal support to their members and informs them of the free educational, medical and subsidized food programs the government provides."

Adopted in 1999 after a long consultative process, Venezuela's "Bolivarian Constitution" institutionalizes a broad range of progressive measures. Under the constitution, "The state recognizes work at home as an economic activity that creates added value and produces social welfare and wealth," and guarantees housewives' social security.

The union is also involved in efforts to push the government to provide pensions to all housewives over fifty. Educational efforts on the part of the union have sought to teach women how to establish small businesses and community work cooperatives and to provide them with diplomas indicating their expertise in certain areas of domestic work.

Lizarde Prada, General Coordinator for the Housewives' Union in the State of Merida, explained the goals behind the Union's establishment: "Our union helps to empower the housewives. Many of them were stuck in their homes, they didn't have time to read or write, they were always cooking and cleaning, they weren't informed. Many of our women are opening their eyes now."

Sandy Hager

» Upside Down World: The Housewives' Union in Venezuela

» Venezuelanalysis.com: Venezuela's Antidote for Apathy

» Venezuelanalysis.com: Women and Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution

» Green Left Weekly: Bolivarian Revolution: A People's Win

» Venezuelan US Embassy: Bolivarian Constitution, Title III: Duties, Human Rights and Guarantees

Corporations Profiting Big From "Reconstruction Projects" in Poor Countries: Naomi Klein

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 11:26:29 +0000

From Iraq to Haiti, and Afghanistan to Aceh, Canadian journalist Naomi Klein has castigated disaster and post-conflict reconstruction projects as a way for "a familiar cast of consulting firms, engineering companies, mega-NGOs, government and UN aid agencies and financial institutions" to reap huge profits at the expense of reconstruction efforts.

According to Klein, the reconstruction industry is not only profiting from this form of "disaster capitalism," but it is "stunningly inept" at rebuilding as well.

Klein says that a contributing factor to the rise of "disaster capitalism" is the increasingly dominant role played by the World Bank in disaster and post-conflict reconstruction, an area which Klein notes "has traditionally been the domain of UN agencies."

Twenty to 25 per cent of World Bank funding now goes to post-conflict nations, and the loans are often used by the Bank to "lock in" government commitments to neo-liberal policies.

In one example cited by Klein, Haiti was required to let private companies run schools and hospitals in order to secure a $61 million (US) post-conflict loan.

Klein claims that similar approaches are being taken by the World Bank to nations recovering from last December's tsunami. Loans given to these countries are to be spent on the "expansion of tourism and industrial fish farms, rather than rebuilding small-boat fisheries," while privatization is encouraged in the realm of public services.

The Guardian (Naomi Klein): Allure of the Blank State

The Nation (Naomi Klein): The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Kashar News: NGOs baking cake, eating it

The World Bank: Homepage

The Whirled Bank: Homepage

Lobbyists Have Spent $13 Billion in US Since 1998, Little Resources for Monitoring Their Activities

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 08:58:26 +0000

According to a recent report, special interest groups in the US have spent close to $13 billion in lobbying to influence Congress, the White House, and over 200 other federal agencies since 1998.

The report, entitled "Industry of Influence Nets Almost $13 Billion," which is published by the Centre for Public Integrity, also suggests that the resources devoted to monitor lobbying groups are minimal because the federal agencies in charge of these areas lack the staff to adequately track the billions of dollars given to lobbying efforts each year.

This, according to the authors, has led to a lack of media and public scrutiny towards the practice of lobbying in the US despite the fact that lobbyists have an incredible impact on the federal government's decision-making process.

This lack of scrutiny and monitoring of lobbyists reinforces the lack of scrutiny of lobbying groups, and the ability to scrutinize lobbying efforts is further hampered by ineffective federal legislation demanding the disclosure of lobbying activities, the report's authors explained.

The Centre for Public Integrity examined the US federal government's mandatory disclosure forms and found that many of them were sent in well past deadline dates, while some of the sections in many of the forms were filled in improperly or left blank. The report also suggests that there is an "unknown number" of lobbyists that fail to file disclosure reports at all.

The Centre for Public Integrity: Industry of Influence Nets Almost $13 Billion

Inter Press Service News Agency: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

The Globe and Mail: Altria, GE, and Verizon big spenders as lobbyists go on binge

30 Murdered by Rio 'Death Squad', Public Outcry Limited

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 21:10:50 +0000

According to the UK's Guardian newspaper, the March 31st massacre of 30 people by a "band of rogue policemen" in Rio's working class Baixada district has not created "much of a stir" in the Brazilian metropolis.

The same report suggests that the pope's death has "eclipsed" all other news stories in this predominately Catholic country, but that complacency also stems from the fact that people are accustomed to hearing bad news come out of poorer areas such as Baixada.

Claudia Guerro of Rio's Public Safety Department suspects that the massacre was a retaliation by police against the arrest of eight other police officers connected to the murder of two people at a Rio police station.

Guerro claimed that the police officers involved in the massacre were "unhappy with our investigations into crimes committed by police officers and with our efforts to weed out corrupt and bad policemen."

While the public outcry against this incident has been limited, Bloomberg News Service reports that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is sending 600 "police reinforcements" to Rio in order to battle corruption and organized crime in the city.

The Guardian: Massacre in Rio Getting Little Attention

Scotsman: Brazil Massacre Implicates Police Death Squads

Bloomberg: Brazil's Lula Sends Police to Rio After Death Squads Kill 30

India Passes New Patent Law: Price of AIDS Drugs Expected to Soar

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 09:53:05 +0000

India's government passed a controversial patent law last week making it illegal for domestic firms to produce cheap generic copies of AIDS drugs developed by multinational pharmaceutical firms.

As a New York Times report suggests, the law has the potential to cut the supply of cheap generic AIDS drugs to millions in the developing world who rely on India as a supplier.

The patent law changes result from the nation's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and India's commitments to the WTO's TRIPs agreement (Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights). The TRIPs agreement obliges members to change their national patent rules in order to comply with the WTO standards.

An editorial in Nairobi's Nation blasts the TRIPs agreement, claiming that it hinders Africa's socioeconomic development and serves as a tool for multinational firms from the industrialized countries to "continue to reap huge profits."

It has been suggested by Nation that the cost of AIDS drugs in Kenya is likely to soar due to the new Indian patent laws. Currently, Kenyans pay approximately $20 US for generic drugs from India, while the cost of the patented versions from multinational pharmaceutical firms cost around $395 US.

The Nation (Nairobi):WTO Policy a Blow to Anti-Aids Drive

Business Week:Groups Slam Indian Passage of Patent Law

New York Times:India Tightens Law, Alarming Advocates for AIDS Patients

Governments Ratify, Protesters Die: Two Killed as CAFTA Ratification Meets Strong Resistance in Guatemala

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 20:54:02 +0000

Protesters demonstrating against the Guatemalan government's ratification of the Central American Free Trade Agreement were met with what the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ICFTU) has described as "disproportionate force" by Guatemalan police.

According to the ICFTU, the Guatemalan police were directly responsible for the deaths of two protesters in the province of Huehuetenango. Arrest warrants have been issued across the country for labour leaders associated with the demonstrations.

The Central American Free Trade Agreement was ratified by the Guatemalan Congress on March 15th and establishes a free trade area between the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Critics say that such agreements grant disproportionate power to corporations by allowing them to sue governments for lost profits due to "trade barriers" that populations rely on to protect their rights and environment. The official term is "investor-to-state dispute resolution."

With striking resemblances to its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) counterpart, CAFTA is seen by some as a necessary stepping stone to the completion of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

According to a Green Left Weekly report, the Guatemalan demonstrations were sparked by a desire to see CAFTA subject to a national referendum. The same report suggests that provisions in CAFTA allowing for the lowering of US tariffs "will threaten the livelihoods of small farmers and increase unemployment and may exacerbate the country's food shortages."

» Union Network International: Guatemala: CAFTA protests result in 2 deaths and arrest warrants for trade unionists

» Resist.ca: Guatemalan Government Approves CAFTA Under Cloud of Tear Gas

» Stop CAFTA: About CAFTA

» Green Left Weekly: Guatemala: Two Die, CAFTA Ratified

Quixote.org: CAFTA and Expanding Corporate Rights

Despite 4 Million Deaths, the Congo's War Remains Largely Ignored

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 08:58:06 +0000

According to a recent Reuters poll of over 100 humanitarian professionals, media personalities, academics and activists, the civil war in the Congo is the most important crisis "forgotten" by the mainstream media.

With over four million casualties since 1998 - more than 10 times as many as killed in the Asian tsunami - John O'Shea of Ireland's GOAL relief agency has branded the Congo conflict the worst humanitarian disaster since the Holocaust.

Although the conflict officially ended in 2003, violence has continued in most parts of the country. According to one BBC report, mass rape has been a tactic employed "as a weapon of war; a means of humiliating and controlling civilian populations."

The Reuters Alternet poll also mentions conflicts in Uganda and the Darfur region of Sudan as the second and third most "forgotten" new stories respectively.

Reuters: Poll: Congo war is world's top 'forgotten' crisis

BBC: No justice for DR Congo's raped

The Dominion: Congo's President Promises Elections

"Heroine" of Sandinista Revolution Branded Terrorist by US State Department

Thu, 10 Mar 2005 18:42:32 +0000

Dora Maria Tellez, considered by many to be a heroine for her role in the Sandinista overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua in 1979, has been refused entry to the US on the grounds that her role in the revolution constituted terrorism.

Tellez, who had intended to immigrate to the US to take a teaching post at Harvard University, told the Guardian that she is confused by the decision as she has visited the US on several occasions without any trouble.

This announcement comes off the heels of US President Bush's appointment of John Negroponte as his administration's director of intelligence.

According to one organization, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Negroponte, who was US ambassador to Honduras from 1981-85, "was a key player in organizing training for the Contras and procuring weapons for the armies that the United States was building in order to topple the socialist Nicaraguan government."

Many in the academic community are outraged by the decision. In an interview with the Guardian, Toronto-based Nicaraguan sociologist Andres Perez Baltodano questioned the US State Department's definition of terrorism, arguing that "Dora Maria is as much a terrorist as George Washington."

Guardian: US bars Nicaragua 'heroine' as terrorist

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR): Media Omissions on Negroponte's Record

Harvard Crimson: Would-Be Prof Denied Entry Visa