Practical Details Forgotten

Too much of the conference was spent listening to prestigeous speakers instead of working on the more practical questions that should have had more time devoted to then). This was obvious to all the members of the New Zealand delegation.

The leadership of WAY attempted to run a prestigeous conference, in which their stewardship could hopefully be shown to have left the organisation in good heart. It was clear that this was not the case.

It seems to me that we are still in a period when Third World Countries feel they have to prove themselves as efficient as the White West in organising and running things on a World scale. Unfortunately, they cannot yet marshall behind them the same financial resources that seem to flow into organisations still controlled by Western personnel. They struggle on under much more difficult situations.

I have spent little time dealing with the Assembly, because I think it is important to understand the situation that WAY is in, and how it came to be in the difficult situation it clearly find itself. At stake in the current debate over WAY are some very important principles.

It is possible to be an effective World organisation today without relying on American funding, or funding by any other Great power. WAY is attempting to follow this course. It is possible for Third World countries to control an organisation, without facing opposition from Western countries unable to adjust to a situation where they are no longer in control.

New Zealand's continued membership of WAY means that we believe that this kind of a struggle is important, and that this country is prepared to throw itself in with Third World countries and perhaps experience for ourselves something of the frustrations they feel continually.