STATEMENT ON ASEM AND G20

by South South Peoples Solidarity Network

Brussels, 6th Oct 2010

Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) was held again in the beginning of October 2010. The forum was established   in bits first meeting in Bangkok, 1996. ASEM is an inter-regional forum consisting of the European Commission, 27 countries of European member countries, 13 members of ASEAN plus threes and as of 2008 India, Mongolia and Pakistan.

This ASEM is aimed at “helping” to prepare G 20 Summit to be held on  11-12 November 2010 in Seoul  South Korea. These talk shops are the avenue for powerful corporations and their proxy government to reaffirm their orgy of speculation in the expenses of the living standards of millions of people around the world and producing more catastrophes to the planet.

Meanwhile, active members of civil society and social movement converged in Brussels in the 8^th Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF), to discuss the burning issues that created by the savage global capitalism and to seek a just and sustainable alternative to the neoliberal model.

The participants of AEPF have strongly denounced the predatory neoliberal model of economic development, which placed the interest of capital before the fundamental rights and livelihood of the people all over the world.

ASEM is in reality fully supported by Multinational Corporation and Transnational Corporation (TNC & MNC). The biggest capital owner since the beginning has used multilateral banks like IMF, World Bank, ADB and developed countries’ government like the US, EU, and Japan in order to support business need in many forms such as fiscal stimulus, a huge financial injection, debt for infrastructure development and trade liberalization in order to make private sector the main role in crisis recovery and climate change.

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At the meantime, we also witnessed the rise of people’s resistances against the austerity imposed by governments to squeeze the people in order to save capitalism, especially in Europe. Elsewhere, the working people and the poor continue to fight against neoliberal onslaughts through street mobilizations and strikes.

The sphere of North South dialogue is also kicking out through the South South People’s Solidarity Network during the AEPF-8.  One of the issues that in line with all actions are how it is timely right now we could not only talk about alternative to neoliberalism, but to take actions to build collective vision among the left/socialists on the alternatives and strengthen the struggle for socialism based on people’s participation, democratic control of productive resources and equal distribution of wealth for the enhancement of human society as well as sustainability of the planet.

The FTA that already signed between India –EU, and Korea and EU has to be seen not only as a threat in these two countries but also the threat for all of us in the region in Asia. India is a country that produced cheap medicine, entering the agreement with EU   will create a misery for people in South East Asia that dealing for example, with AIDS and Malaria issue.

Susan George from Attac stated that the Lisbon Treaty puts Europe under the umbrella of NATO, and therefore under the military control of the US, and hence the Commanding Chief of the US army. This means the rulers in imperialist US will always have direct command on Europe.

The discussions unfolded in the AEPF, clearly reflected the opposition from social movements in both Asia and Europe to the neoliberal paradigm which has created multiple crises that endanger the survival of human society and the planet.

There is an urgent need to develop an alternative paradigm to the socio-development, which goes beyond the logic of market and profit-oriented economic developments.

We  from South South People’s  Solidarity Network that consists of Peasant movement, Labours movement , Women, Indigenous formation, Progresive Intellectuals call for:

1.     Overhaul of global financial system to end the oligarchic rule of financial capital.

2.     Reclaim the rights of all women, labour, and peasantss to have a decent and dignified life.

3.     Reclaim the democratic control of the people on the state and public affairs

4.     Economic model that focus on redistribution of wealth in order to foster a just society.

We express our solidarity with the resistance of Korean workers and peasants against the signing EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement which will only benefit the predatory capital with the expenses of the interest of working people in both Korea and European Union.    The G 20 meeting should be the place for us to show our fights against the draconian models.

With all the actions of the working class all over Europe and people’s struggles in Asia, we call upon the social movements, progressive organizations around the world to join hand-in-hand to strengthen and consolidate the struggles of people against neoliberal onslaughts.  

We also extend or solidarity to the people of Ecuador and Latin America, and condemn any coup attempt that aims to destabilize progressive governments which seeking for alternative to the neoliberal paradigms.