| RIGHTING GLOBAL WRONGS
Complacency is No Virtue
By Aye Aye Win*
A sigh of relief as this year’s pilgrimage comes to
an end. Full of inspiration and hope many hail the WSF process
as a "victory of the people". But complacency is
no virtue.
Contradictions are apparent and there are no clear answers.
The big brain behind the WSF is the International Organising
Committee who some complemented for building the movement
to "startling maturity".
Among some comrades, however, there were still some questions.
Who are these IC people and how did they get there? Election,
selection or free participation? Do you get in if you can
pay your travel costs or if you are buddies with the big boys
of the WSF? Transparency please, cynics demand. Look who’s
talking. The question of democracy is something we all should
address. Which of the world’s people elected an NGO
to represent them here or anywhere else for that matter. NGOs
just sprouted like weeds in a fallow field and proceeded to
take over the land.
Another dilemma. When do you jettison the heroes of the movement
and bring in new blood? At an informal dinner, Carol Barton
a US delegate from the Women's International Coalition for
Economic Justice complained "...even in the TerraViva
you have enough space for the gurus, but not for us."
George, Bello, Khor, are your days done? And who should replace
you? Maybe some eloquent visionary from the youth camp?
And why is it even an issue? Why should we feed on our own,
when there may be room for everyone?
Appreciation is in order for the local organisers. But even
these martyrs did not escape criticism. It's a "forum
of equals" some say, so why then do your badges display
your status? In the pecking order the "delegates"
and "participants" were at the bottom of the pile,
below the big shot "organisers" from the IOC/LOC
and the superstar "conferistas". I noticed a few
delegates sniff as they bumped into men in black wearing "VIP
Service" badges. What do you mean by V.I.Ps? Isn’t
that us, the masses?
* Aye Aye Win, Burma, is the Coordinator of Dignity International
and a member of the IPS Board of Directors.
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