Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 10. May 16 1977

Salient

page 4

Salient

Last week saw the holding of the Pacific Basin Economic Council conference in Christchurch. Contrary to the glib press reports, and the flashy 14 page newspaper supplements that appeared, PBEC is not the bringer of wealth and prosperity to the peoples of the Pacific nations.

The members of PBEC recognise that there is potential wealth within the Pacific area and their central aim is to make sure that the profits from the economic cake can be carved up to their satisfaction. The role of the multinationals and financiers that make up PBEC is not one of bringing progress or development to developing nations but of ensuring that they remain economically secure, and that they receive a good return on their investments.

During the recent International Student Congress held at Victoria many of the students present spoke of the two-faced exploitative games that foreign investors play. One the one hand they pay lip service to aiding developing countries but this acts merely as a disguise for their true game of ripping off developing nations of their raw materials and natural resources. This pillage is sanctioned and protected by local elites dedicated to maintaining a favourable climate. Malaysia is a good example of a country kept safe and secure by local agents for foreign masters. The result has been that 70% of the country's economy is controlled by British interests. The wealth of the country is never seen by the peasants and working people of the country, other than in the newspaper columns which declare larger profits for the foreign companies.

Both the demonstrations at the PBEC Conference and the resolve of the overseas students at the International Student Congress show that the differences of race, language, and culture fade into the background when we are faced by common enemies — those who wish to take and give nothing in return. These threats do not just come from the established Western exploiters either. The many Asian students present showed that they knew that the Soviet Union was not operating in Singapore through the Narodny bank for the love of helping developing nations.

One thing stands out clearly: that whether it be in New Zealand, the Pacific Basin, or in South East Asia the foreign exploiters from wherever they may come must be resisted at all times. The PBEC demonstrations and the International Student Congress were two small parts in that struggle.