THE EDITOR, Madam:
I DISAGREE with your editorial of Friday June 23 on PM Patterson's Cairo presentation. We should all be proud that this global leadership position has come out of Jamaica, like so many of earth's firsts. Concerns for social justice and the environment are inputs the WTO/Globalisation system must incorporate.
Patterson's call for a focus on 'development' is very relevant for today (since when has human development been passe). Recent protests in Seattle and elsewhere were cries for attention to the rot that could consume and destroy globalisation, no doubt the planet's most efficient system for delivery of goods and services.
I support globalisation but not in its current form. Like Patterson and many 'Third World' leaders, from both the First and Third Worlds (yes, the Third World exists in the First World, as does the First World in the Third World the Third World is no longer a geographic 'state', but a socio-economic-technological-political one), feel that social and environmental factors have to be incorporated into the capitalist system (WTO/globalisation being the most evolved form of capitalism).
If not, some of us are doomed to be extremely wealthy in paper (now electronic) assets, but living in a very unhealthy planet as our air, water, soil, plants, foods, all around us die. Most of us now live within decaying social orders with militarised police forces and private armies of rent-a-cops necessary for social control. If it is all about me for I, where is the common good?
I am etc.,
PAUL CHANG
E-mail: paul@alme.com
PO Box 24, Laughlands
St. Ann
Via Go-Jamaica
