THE RECORD

November 17, 1999

Fiat Lux

by Ed Deak

As I'm beginning to write this column the politicians in many countries are laying wreaths at cenotaphs and making speeches, praising the sacrifice of the soldiers who died in defence of democracy and a better world. Then they go back to their offices, wash their hands and start making preparations for the Millennium Round World Trade Organization conference in Seattle later this month. In short, to discuss the prices for the sale of their countries to the madness of collectivized globalization, controlled by a handful of multinational corporations.

The propaganda version of the purpose of the WTO, as touted by our billionaire controlled media, is to "create wealth through the free movement of capital and trade." The real purpose? Simply to remove the decision making powers of democratically elected governments and replace them with the boardroom decisions of multinational corporations. Since it's beginning in 1995 the actions and decisions of the WTO have been nothing else but to ensure the profitability of multinationals in face of growing public outrage. While their profits grow by the minute, the lines at our soup kitchens and food banks reach around the blocks and children all over the world are starving to death by the thousands.

It is almost three years now when people who are involved in economic research became aware of the top secret Multilateral Agreement on Investments, the MAI. The talks were going on in Paris for over two years by then by the governments of the 29 OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), with Canada being one of the participants. I was on an economic debating list based on the University of Colorado in early March of 1997 when one of our colleagues posted a very short version of the MAI with the question: "What if this is true?"

The contents even of that short letter were unbelievable: Here were the governments of the 29 most industrialized countries of the world making plans in a Paris basement to give away all the democratic decision making rights people have been fighting for thousands of years.

For what? Their excuse was that the removal of all regulations and responsibilities from foreign capital would create a so called "favourable climate for the wealth creating movement of capital." Even after the whole text of the Agreement was leaked and posted on the Net in May of 1997, our Liberal MPs denied it's existence and our Reform and PC politicians were vehemently defending it. The only whimper that came from Reform was that the negotiations should have been more open. Yet, they never did anything to inform the public, even though they knew of the proceedings. Kamloops NDP MP Nelson Riis was the first one to stand up and protest against the secret negotiations and the contents of the Agreement.

Of course, I had the complete 370 odd page text of the MAI as soon as it came on the Net and offered to send it to our Reform MP Philip Mayfield for publication, but my offer was received with stony silence. Then I received a phony form letter from some PR hack in Preston Manning's office: "Thank you for writing to Mr. Manning......" I didn't write to Mr. Manning and wasn't a bit interested in his opinions. It was obvious that my MP wasn't permitted to comment on the sale of the democratic rights of Canadians, so eagerly awaited by the Reform crew, now shedding crocodile tears by Cenotaphs. The propaganda message whitewashing the exercise had to come from the Great Leader.

Fighting for democracy in today's terms means the laying down in front of the steamroller of neo-colonial powers. Like our esteemed Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said before the Vancouver APEC conference: "We're not here to discuss human rights, but trade!." Then he feted and hosted some of the worst slave drivers and mass murderers still alive in the world today, taking good care that the noise of demonstrators did not reach their tender ears.

Hitler must be rolling around in his grave for having been born 50 years too early. Today he would get the red carpet every time he'd visit Ottawa or Washington and our investment dealers would send out brochures, showing the huge profits the happy workers in the concentration camps bring for the lucky investors.

At least we can rest assured that the toys we buy for our children and grandchildren, carrying well known American trade names, will be well made. The little kiddies who make them in their Asian concentration camps must deliver good work, or their slave drivers will see to it that they won't get their dog food rations. The corporations must get their profits, or else they go somewhere else, where the dictators are friendlier to investment.

Is this the world millions have fought and died for? At least, we who have fought on the wrong side have found out about the fraud we suffered and died for right after the end of hostilities. But what are the excuses these politicians can dish out to the veterans who thought they were fighting for democracy?