CRIMES AGAINST MUSLIMS RISE IN USA

Hate crimes against Muslims across the United States spiked last year, according to new statistics released by the FBI, a rise which experts say was partially fueled by anti-Muslim rhetoric of Donald Trump, the US president-elect.  

Anti-Muslim hate crimes shot up 67 percent in 2015, compared with the year before, according to the bureau’s Hate Crime Statistics report issued on Monday. At least 257 of hate crime incidents against Muslims took place in 2015 while 154 happened in 2014.

“That is the highest number since 2001, when the al-Qaeda attacks on New York and elsewhere drove the number to its highest ever level, 481 hate crimes,” said Mark Potok with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a civil rights organization that tracks hate crimes.

“I wasn’t surprised to learn that anti-Muslim hate crime statistics spiked in 2015.” said Jordan Denari Duffner, research fellow at The Bridge Initiative, a research project on Islamophobia at Georgetown University.

“The official FBI statistics confirmed what many of us predicted – that anti-Muslim acts, many of them violent, were on the rise,” Duffner added.

Hate crimes overall grew by 6.8 percent in 2015 to a total of 5,850 incidents reported throughout the year, compared with the 5,479 incidents reported in 2014.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

Reports of hate crimes and racially motivated violence against minorities have further increased in the United States after the election of Republican candidate Trump as president.

There was a spate of hate crimes reported on social media and to police last week that targeted Muslims, Latinos and African Americans.

Trump’s supporters have been accused of numerous attacks following his election victory last week, including racist graffiti, death threats and physical assaults.

Trump’s campaign had been hit with many controversies since its inception in early 2015. He repeatedly made disparaging remarks against minorities in the US. His comments include a call to ban all Muslims from coming to America as well as stopping Mexican migrants by building a long wall along the US-Mexico border.

Despite all this, the billionaire businessman still managed to stun the world by defeating the heavily-favored Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, in the November 8 election.

Trump tells supporters to ‘stop it’

Trump told his supporters in an interview on Sunday to stop attacks against Latinos and Muslims.

“I am so saddened to hear that,” Trump told CBS’ “60 Minutes” program, when the host told him Latinos and Muslims were facing harassment. “And I say, ‘Stop it.’ If it -- if it helps, I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: ‘Stop it.’“

Trump has been criticized during his presidential campaign for his inflammatory language against Muslims, immigrants, women and other groups.

The SPLC civil rights organization has monitored a rash of racially motivated violence in campuses around the country.

“I think this is absolutely clearly a result of Trump’s election,” Mark Potok, a senior fellow at SPLC, told the Guardian last week. “Donald Trump has ripped the lid off Pandora’s box.”

Editorial

MUSLIMS

Muslims have become victims of all kinds of hate crimes across the world especially in the West.

The hatred of Muslims cannot be justified by any reason.

Indeed, hatred of Muslims cannot be substantially different from the hatred of “Black” people or the hatred of Indians.

The Insight believes that it is the duty of all those who have a commitment to the preservation of world civilization to stand up and defend all Muslims who have become victims of hate campaigns.

Unfortunately none of the leading politicians in Ghana is standing up for the rights of Muslims.

What we hear are a few Muslim politicians urging the Muslim community to vote for them because they are also Muslims.

Our view is that it is not enough to be a Muslim. Those who crave for Muslim solidarity must themselves stand up for Muslims everywhere including Palestine.

NPP has competent people to lead Ghana – Akufo-Addo

NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo Addo

By Jonas Nyabor

Nana Akufo-Addo, the 2016 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said that the party has the best team to lead the country and steer it to sustainable economic development.

He said he will assemble competent people who will serve in various government positions if he is voted as President at the December 7 polls.

He added that, his team is ready and able to lead the country.

While addressing a rally at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, Nana Akufo-Addo said the pool of diverse skills and talents available in the NPP makes it easier for the party to effectively govern the country if given the opportunity.

“The New Patriotic Party has men and women who are ready, willing and able to provide this country the kind of governance that will bring prosperity  to the mass of our people.”

“We are going to do well; not to go and fill our pockets when we come to power. That is not why we are coming into office; to steal the money of the people of Ghana.”

He further stated that, the NPP has “a big plan for the development of our country. A plan that is going to bring jobs and prosperity to all parts of Ghana, and in the Upper East Region, agribusiness is going to be our focus.”

He noted that “we are going to create the conditions of all year-round farming. If Burkina Faso can do it, so can we also do it in the Upper East Region and create prosperity and jobs for our people.”

He said the priority areas of an NPP government will include Education and Health, where the NPP will effectively execute its 2012 campaign promises of free Senior High School education policy, and the strengthening of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The NHIS “will receive new strength, so we can provide healthcare that is affordable and accessible for all Ghanaians”.

“Apart from the education of the children, we are going to revive in full, adult education; so that adults who did not have the opportunity to go to school will also benefit from knowledge and education. We want to have a nation where everybody can improve on their lives and circumstances. That is what we are fighting for, and that is why we are going to restore the allowances for teacher trainees.”

We will build on Nkrumah's good works - Greenstreet

Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, CPP Presidential Candidate

By Illiasu Abdul Rauf

The presidential candidate of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) says the party would build on the good works of Kwame Nkrumah as took undertook a vigorous campaign to Tamale.

He sent his 'Sankofa' message throughout the three Northern Regions to enable him garner votes for the December 7 elections. 

Ivor Kobina Greestreet and his team arrived in the regional capital Saturday evening after campaigning in more than 10 constituencies of the region including Saboba, Tatale, Mion, Gushegu Nanton, Savelugu, Tolon and Zabzugu.

This is his second visit to the region in his campaign dubbed "Sankofa" where he is playing up to the amenities and infrastructures of former president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's CPP administration.

The CPP presidential nominee routinely visited traditional rulers of each constituency visited to ask for their blessing and support.

He appealed to the chiefs to assist bring back a CPP government as it is was the only option to save the country's fast sinking economy, an appeal some chiefs pledged to consider.

At the regional capital the team visited the Chief of Sagnarigu Ambassador Naa Andani Yakubu where they held a large rally and introduce its parliamentary candidate Zalia Issah to the Chief and the constituents.

The Chief in an overt show of joy lauded the party for choosing an accessible and good candidate to the represent the constituency and said he wished Mrs Issah wins the parliamentary seat.

His tour is set to continue through Kumbugu, Yunyoo, Naregu, Salaga North/South,Bukpurugu, Walewale, Daboya and Yahaya Kubore constituency.

Zoomlion demands proof of GHc 448m corruption allegations

Robert Coleman, Zoomlion Communications Manager

By Delali Adogla-Bessa

Waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, has denied allegations it is engaged in a corrupt scheme with government to siphon over GHc 448 million for its management of Youth Employment modules despite the cancellation of an initial contract.

According to Zoomlion’s Communications Manager, Robert Coleman, the contract the company has been operating with since 2006 is still binding.

On the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Coleman explained that Zoomlion was pre-financing its work for government, with funding from financial institutions, for the management and payment of the persons under the module.

“There is no financial institution that will pre-finance a job like this for you without seeing a legal document from your side of the divide,” he noted.

The allegations surfaced when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) accused government of creating a corrupt scheme worth over GHc 448 million as payment to Zoomlion, for the management of the Modules despite the cancellation of their contract.

The People’s National Convention (PNC), also said it had stumbled on some documents which confirm that government had a GHc450 million contract with Zoomlion and about GHc62 million has so far been paid the company illegally for no work done.

Produce canceled contract

But Mr. Coleman challenged the critics to produce documentation to the effect the contract had been cancelled.

“I was very confident because I have seen the contract that we have been consistently signing; and I know that there is absolutely no documentation to the effect that the contract has been abrogated or terminated,” he stated defiantly.

“We have a document that we have been working with; so we are extremely surprised that people are saying that the contract has been terminated. As I speak to you now, we have a valid contract we are working with.”

“We know that we have a binding contract. We know that per the terms of the contract that we are expected to execute, we are doing it and therefore we are working and we don’t have any problem with the working document,” Mr. Coleman added.

Could Sanders Have Beaten Trump?

Bennie Sanders

By Stephen Lendman

We’ll never know despite lots of guesswork suggesting it. He’s a footnote in the sordid history of US presidential politics – part of the dirty system like all other duopoly power candidates.

In return for supporting Hillary after campaigning against what she represents, Democrats rewarded him with a low-ranking leadership position, choosing him as outreach chairman in charge of winning over blue-collar Trump supporters.

He lied calling it a “heavy responsibility to help shape the priorities of the United States government.”

He lied again, saying he’ll do “everything (he) can to make sure that the budget that leaves the United States Congress is a budget that represents the needs of working families and a shrinking middle class and not billionaires.”

How when his self-styled independent socialist credentials are phony. His congressional voting record proves it.

He supports deplorable Democrat party policies 98% of the time – including imperial wars; economic policies resulting in an unprecedented wealth disparity, high unemployment and underemployment, and an unaddressed protracted Main Street Depression; along with police state laws reflecting growing tyranny, as well as other disturbing policies.

Among the leading candidates to succeed Obama, Sanders was worst in my judgment – and here’s why.

Like Obama, he’s a longstanding con man, winning support with empty promises, breaching them consistently in office. Rhetorically endorsing progressive change, most often he’s for dirty business as usual in practice.

GW Bush left office with a near-record low approval rating. Obama exceeded his worst policies, yet enjoys support from 56% of the electorate, based on early November polling, most backers ignoring his betrayal, his war on humanity and other high crimes.

Sanders is Obama with a white face. His phony populism matches the president’s, their blackguard agenda concealed, backing what they claim to oppose – representing hypocrisy, not progressive change.

Washington’s criminal class is bipartisan, Sanders like all the rest, pretending to be different.

His disturbing record speaks for itself – supporting phony war on terror, devastating imperial wars, drone killings, Israel’s war on Palestine, along with no criticism of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other tyrannical regimes responsible politicians would denounce.

He’s more opportunist than populist – the only Senate member publicly supporting universal healthcare – then voted with Democrats for Obamacare. His no vote would have killed what Ralph Nader at the time called a “pay or die” system – a rationing scheme benefitting insurers, drug companies and large hospital chains.

His idea of revolutionary change is business as usual with a facelift, old wine in new bottles, phony lofty mumbo jumbo – sham democracy, not the real thing.

If he meant what he said, he’d renounce money-controlled duopoly power politics, leave the Democrat party, and run as a true progressive independent.

Instead, he’s a populist in name only, profiting from pretense, part of a debauched system, power brokers intend keeping unchanged.

Like Obama, a Sanders presidency would likely fool most people most of the time – instead of widespread disapproval, maybe erupting in unrest, a similar reaction awaiting Trump if he fails to deliver for supporters, aside from orchestrated street protests now.

In hindsight, maybe Democrats regret not choosing Sanders, easily controlled to do their bidding – maybe president-elect today if they hadn’t gone for Hillary.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

GHANA’S FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT?

Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings

By Ekow Mensah

From all indications Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings is determined to become Ghana’s very first woman President and she is leaving no stone unturned in that herculean effort.

She tried desperately to grab the presidential candidature of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and when that failed she formed her own political party, the National Democratic Party (NDP).

In 2012 her effort received a huge blow when the Electoral Commission (EC) decided that she had failed to meet all the conditions set for joining the contest for the presidency of Ghana.

She was given a technical knock-out or better still disqualified from the race.

It must be said however, that Nana Konadu remains undaunted and is pushing on with gusto.

In a recent British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) interview she said she is better qualified to lead Ghana because she is a woman who gets things done.

Interestingly, the woman who gets things done could not file her presidential candidature with the Electoral Commission and had to be disqualified in 2012.

Nana Konadu’s political record is more than amazing. Having been Ghana’s first lady for 19 long years and the wife of the “founder” of the National Democratic Congress, Nana Konadu managed to get only three per cent of the total votes cast in the contest for the presidential candidature of the party in 2012.

Her rival, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, got 97 percent.

Nana Konadu’s National Democratic Party has put up Parliamentary Candidates in less than 40 of the 275 constituencies.

This means that even if all her candidates win their seats, she still will not be in a position to control Parliament.

Besides, what confidence can this situation provide for the electorate to go out there and vote for Nana Konadu as Ghana’s first woman president?

No matter what the calculations may be, Nana Konadu has demonstrated sufficient courage by stepping forward to ask for support to become Ghana’s first woman President.

She has joined the ranks of the very few women who have dared to break the jinx including Madam Ekua Donkor.

Editorial

2016

In less than two weeks many Ghanaians will use their thumbs to decide who should run the affairs of this great country founded by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

It must be obvious that only one person can be elected as President of Ghana.

Our point is that at the end of the election if one of the several presidential candidates is elected in accordance with the constitution and other laws of Ghana, the rest must accept the results to avoid chaos.

The practice in the past, when some presidential candidates refused to accept the results and embarked upon actions which could destabilize the country must come to an end.

Every election is won or lost at the polling station and it is important for the parties to step up their organisation and vigilance at that level.

We urge all participants in the 2016 elections to be graceful enough to accept the results.

OPEN PETITION TO PRESIDENT MAHAMA

President John Dramani Mahama

PETITION BY EX-BLACK STAR LINE SEAMEN

The President, 

Dear Sir,

1.The Government or Ghana instituted a Board to regulate the movement of Seamen in the year 1968 and it came into force in 1971. That is: The Ghana Seamen Employment and Welfare Board-This can be found in Executive Instrument No. 28. Members on committee were set thus: Black Star Line Representative. The Shipping Commissioner, Chief Labour Officer, Ship Owners, National Union or Seamen, Local and Regional:

Tema and Takoradi and Executive Secretary of the Ghana Employment and Welfare Board (G.S.E. W.B).

2. Since liquidation of Black Star Line we've being asking for compensation since 1998, a publication was made in the Ghanaian Times on Tuesday 1st April 2003. In 2006, March 20th we went to COUI1, but to no avail.

3. Mr. Chairman we are pleading with you Sir, to see His Excellence the President to come to our aid.

4. Please, imagine Twenty-one years now since the Ships were sold, we were made to understand that, a company is coming to take over, and also B.S.L will go in for smaller vessels, about ten (10,000) GRT Tonnage Ships. We have been dump into the sea with no life-jacket. We could not educate our Children, we are having medical! problems, our Wives have left us: we are now destitute in our own country which I loved so much so that when 1 and others join a vessel-M/VTano River in 1982, 10th December, the Company was left with four (4) out of twenty (20) Ships. We went on contract for two years (2yrs) without coming to Africa, and none of us desert the ship.

We came back in November 11th 1984. Hon Agustin Gamey knows of this. Then again I joined the same vessel in 1991 to 1992 sailing to UK, continent to West Africa for Eleven months (11) for love of our country we didn't desert the ships. Then in 1994 to 1995 I joined a vessel M/V Keta Lagoon went to Europe and back with Cargos for consignees, also with cars for Pana fest the first that was organized. In 1994 at Cape Coast all these sailings to and fro, 1 mean going to Europe, U.SA Japan, Korea, South America and others to mention a few, we came back to Ghana our Home land.

Nothing stops us from leaving the Ship and stay in a civilized country, but for patriotic sake; here we are dumped, disgraced, no money to feed the family; what kind or patriotism is this-you'll ask! People arc soiling their properties and businesses filling lip churches for Pastors to pray for them to get visa's to go where we've been at no cost. This year, first quarter alone over 600 people died Trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, what value for our patriotisms. Now see where our patriotisms have landed us - penniless. How can we tell our children to serve their country?

To advise them to die for their nation as some of us sail to lots of countries. I have sailed to over 52 countries, over hundred cities with the Black Star line.

We the Black Star line (BLS) sailors don’t want to raise any uproar to tell the nation the kind of pain, anguish and depression we are going through. Look at the noise doctors, nurse, Teachers, civil servant and others make for something that is not there. Yet they want to raise in salaries and allowances.

Please His Excellence, invite us to brief you on lots of things because, all that I have written is backed with documents. We don't want to Halla on Radio or publish anything. Please Mr. President help us we are dying like rats, families reject us, our children don't know their fathers because we didn't do our responsibilities as a father should do. Help us to bring honor and smile on our children's faces.

The rough weather we meet at times (3) days or more we can't rest on bed. Seamen don't sleep, we rest. Our counterparts Nigeria, Cote D'voir, Congo, Cameroon have paid their seamen their gratuity. Why not us, or is it that our ships are remote controlled?

One of the ships of the Black Star Line sold by Jerry Rawlings and the PNDC

Sir, I do not want to go further to comment on this, there are a lot of issues concerning the officer's strike in 1980 to 82 resulting to the grounding of the sixteen ships during the P DC era and the sale of the ships that we don't want to put into the public domain. if in doubts ask Hon. Nii Ashitey and Hon. Austin Gamey.

Trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, what value for our patriotisms. Now see where our patriotisms have landed us - penniless. How can we tell our children to serve their country?

To advise them to die for their nation as some of us sail to lots of countries. I have saved over 52 countries over hundred cities with the Black Star line.

We the Black Star line (BLS) sailor don't want to raise any uproar to tell the nation the kind of pain, anguish and depression we are going through. Look at the noise doctors, nurse, Teachers, civil servant and others make for something that is not there. yet they want.

Please His Excellence, invite us to brief you on lots of things because, all the I have written is backed with documents. We don't want to Holla on Radio or public anything. Please Mr. President help us we are dying like rats, families reject us, our children don't know their fathers because we didn't do our responsibilities as a father should do. Help us to bring honor and smile on our children's faces.

The rough weather we meet at times (3) days or more we can't rest on bed. seamen don't sleep, we rest. Our counterparts Nigeria, Cote Devoir. Congo, Cameroon have paid their seamen their gratuity. Why not us, or is it that our ships arc remote controlled?

Sir, I do not want to go further to comment on this, there are a lot of issues connecting to the officer's strike in 1980 to 82 resulting to the grounding of the sixteen ships during the PNDC era and the sale of the ships that we don't want to put into the public domain. if in doubts ask HOI1. Nii Ashitey and Hon. Austin Gamey.

Sir. back in the 60's when the Akosombo Dam was being built it was one of the black star line ships that was been used to carry this very heavy turbine weighing over 30 tone. That's MIV LAKE BOSOMTWl the only ship that have Jomo Dermek and rigging (preparing) that Derrick alone can take two hours (2 hrs). We the crew (rating) promote the FLAG of GHANA. We are known as UNOFFICIAL AMBARSADORS flying the flag of Ghana high. No African country seamen call stand our seamanship.

If we go to Europe or American those who know the five nations prefer to come on our vessel than the others expect those on official business. Coming to 79 revolution, the exportation of our cocoa and other minerals was done by the j3lack Star line which were later grounded due to the strike and finally the collapse of the company. As I have stated above those of us who sailed on the vessels between the years 81 - 95 we could have stayed in Europe or elsewhere yet for the sake of the nation we are here.

Working on a ship is a different job altogether the stressed the enclosement the confinement into an iron house the hard work we do to keep the ship in shape. The rough weather we encounter in fact the disposal of the ship has really put us in a very bad situation. We didn't plan for it. We never dream that Black star line will go down this way. The shining star of Africa. A shipping line being run by black Africans to the admiration of the white men. They marvel at our effects.

The drain of President Kwame Nkrumah to continue the work of PAN AFRICAN LEADER MARCUS GARVEY the founder of Black star line will go down this way. The shining star of Africans to the admiration of the white men. They marvel at other effort. The dream of the President Kwame Nkrumah to continue the work of PAN AFRICAN LEADER MARCUS GARVEY the founder of Black Star line. Unfortunately, our lives have been left in a bad taste.

We cannot foot our medical bills, our children drop out of school, we are homeless in fact we are living a miserable life, death is laying its hands on.

Us disgracefully, we the Ambassadors of the Ghana not even to talk of our wives deserting us.

Friends who we call friends, during our days that we pay the children school fees for them don't even remember us.

Today these children some are lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs and so on. Hmmmm please His Excellence President John D. Mahama, we are pleading with you to show some mercy for us.

Yours faithfully:

FOR: MR. JERRY JOSEPH GUDDAH
MR. THOMSON ANAMAN
MR. JULIUS KWAKUMAY
:vIR. WILLIAM W. OTCHERE
MR. DIAMOND ACKUMAY

Time to rethink Electoral Colleges: Sanders

Bernie Sanders

US Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders says the Electoral College needs a review after electing “a man for president who didn’t get the most votes.”

In an interview with the USA Today on Sunday, the Vermont senator said Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton necessitated a “serious discussion” on the concept of electoral votes.

“We may want to take a look at the whole Electoral College, which is seating a man for president who didn’t get the most votes,” said Sanders. “This is something we need a serious discussion on.”

“This campaign revolved around 15 states of the country, right? Battleground states. My state of Vermont is a strong Democratic state; no one paid attention. Wyoming is a Republican state; nobody paid attention to Wyoming. Is that a good way?” he asked, adding, “I think we want to rethink that.”

Despite losing the popular vote, Trump was able to clench a historic victory by winning 290 electoral votes. The former secretary of state took 228 votes after losing key states.

The remainder of the 538 votes had not yet been assigned to any candidate as of Monday, according to AP.

The Electoral College was established after “the nation’s founders saw it as a compromise between electing the President by a popular vote among citizens and electing the President in Congress,” according to the US government’s website.

Almost all of the states, except for Maine and Nebraska, use the “winner-take-all” basis, which means the candidate with the most votes gets all of electors.

Sanders’ comment came as thousands of protesters had been holding rallies in various parts of the US, urging Trump to resign over his racist and divisive campaign pledges.

Some of the protesters have demanded the Electoral College to vote for Clinton as it convenes to cast the final vote in December.

Sanders said it was the people’s right to show and “angry” and “upset” they were over Trump’s election.

“They want to express their point of view that they are very frightened, in very, very strong disagreement with Mr. Trump, who has made bigotry the cornerstone of his campaign,” said the senator, who led an unsuccessful nomination bid against Clinton in the primaries.

“I think that people are saying, ‘Mr. Trump, we have come too far in this country fighting discrimination and bigotry. We’re not going back. And if you’re going to continue that effort, you’re going to have to take us on,’” Sanders further explained.

BRICS: Building Solidarities for Social, Economic and Environmental Justice

The People’s Forum met from 13-14 October 2016, ahead of the BRICS 2016 heads-of-state summit which was hosted in India at a time when humanity and the planet face severe, overlapping crises that were analysed in our Forum.

Global Research brings to the attention of its readers this important declaration of the People’s Forum on BRICS held in Goa, India, 14 October 2016.  

*

Building Solidarities for Social, Economic and Environmental Justice:  

Goa Declaration of the People’s Forum on BRICS 

Alto Porvorim, Goa, India 

14 October 2016 

·         democracy is under threat, as the illegitimate Brazilian ‘President’ Michel Temer’s presence reminds us, along with attacks on democratic space in the other BRICS;

·             state repression is rising, such as in India where movements’ dissent is met with brutal repression, and in South Africa where university students have been brutally victimised by local police in recent days;  

·             ecological destruction is widespread, with catastrophic rates of species loss, pollution of land and air, freshwater and ocean degradation, and public health threats rising, to which no BRICS country is immune;

·             in particular, climate change is already having disastrous effects –for example, in India and Southern Africa where large regions face extreme drought – with no relief expected from the Paris COP21 agreement in which negotiators regrettably agreed to non-binding commitments that benefit mainly the North and the BRICS corporations;

·             the world economy is teetering on the brink of a financial meltdown, reflected in the chaos that several BRICS’ stock and currency markets have been facing, as well as in our countries’ vulnerability to crisis-contagion if major European banks soon fail in a manner similar to the US-catalysed meltdown in 2008-09;

·             the longer-term crisis of capitalism is evident in the marked slowdown in international trade and in declining global profit rates, especially evident in the three BRICS countries (South Africa, Russia and Brazil) which have negative or negligible GDP growth;

·             in addition to commodity crashes, one cause of the economic crisis is the deregulatory, neoliberal philosophy adopted by BRICS governments, which puts corporate property rights above human and environmental rights; in the guise of development

·             in the World Trade Organisation, BRICS’ contributions to negotiations were disastrous in the latest round, where food sovereignty was lost because India and Brazil joined the US and EU to reinforce liberalisation;

·             the new generation of Bilateral Trade and Investment Treaties will potentially have adverse impacts on lives and livelihoods of people across the BRICS and their hinterlands, and need complete rethinking.

·             the world’s workers are losing rights, farmers are suffering to the point of suicide,and labour casualisation is rampant in all our countries, with the result that BRICS workers are engaged in regular protest, including the strike by 180 million Indian workers which inspired the world on 2 September 2016;

·             on the social front, the threat to our already-inadequate welfare policies is serious, especially in Brazil’s coup regime but also across the BRICS where inadequate social policies are  driving people on the margins to destitution;

·             the commodification and privatisation of public services is causing misery, such as in South Africa where university students are fighting hard for a fee-free, decolonised tertiary education;

·             patriarchy and sexual violence, racism, communalism, caste discrimination, xenophobia and homophobia run rampant in all the BRICS, and because these forces serve our leaders’ interests, they are not addressing the structural causes, perpetuating divide-and-rule politics, and failing to dissuade ordinary people from contributing to oppression;

·             unsustainable energy options such as nuclear power and large infrastructure projects are being undemocratically pushed in BRICS countries. The spirited resistance from peoples movements is being met with brutal repression of those fighting against land appropriation, loss of livelihoods and environmental and health hazards

·             the destructive arms trade is rampant in the BRICS, such as India’s with Israel, or South Africa’s notorious corrupting arms deal with Northern firms; and

·             the whole world is concerned about geopolitical tensions in West Asia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti.

Everywhere that people’s movements have made alternative demands – such as democracy, peace, poverty eradication, sustainable development, equality, fair trade, climate justice – the elites have co-opted our language and distorted our visions beyond recognition. Many of our leaders are hopelessly corrupt, and so while BRICS spin-doctors claim that their work in Goa will “build responsive, inclusive and collective solutions,” we have spent two days looking beyond the pleasing rhetoric and have found a very different, harsh reality.

While we criticise the way world power is created and exercised, the BRICS leaders appear to simply want power sharing and a seat at the high table. For example, the BRICS New Development Bank is working hand-in-glove with the World Bank; the Contingent Reserve Arrangement empowers the International Monetary Fund; and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank serves mainly corporate interests – and all these financial institutions, despite their rhetoric of transformation, are opaque and untransparent to people in BRICS countries, with no accountability mechanisms or space for meaningful participation by our movements

Whether or not these crises are resolved in coming decades, or degenerate into full-blown catastrophes, the BRICS governments and peoples will be central to most, if not all. The need for our popular movements to focus on how the BRICS as a bloc contribute to these global problems or could address these, and to combine our forces across borders, is the reason the People’s Forum was convened.

Building on the work of prior meetings of progressive movements in Durban (2013) and Fortaleza (2014), the Goa BRICS People’s Forum brought together more than 500 representatives of movements from numerous countries in two plenaries, 14 workshops and countless informal collaborations, apart from 8 workshops in the run up in the host State of Goa and in Delhi.

We heard testimonies confirming that the BRICS countries and corporations are reinforcing the dominant neoliberal, extractivist paradigm. Negative trends in the areas of global and local politics, and on issues of economics, environment, development, peace, conflict and aggressive nationalism, or social prejudice based on gender, race, caste, sexual orientation are not being reversed by the BRICS, but instead are often exacerbated. The BRICS speak of offering strong alternatives to the unfair North-dominated regimes of trade, finance, investment and property rights, climate governance, and other multilateral regimes. But on examination, we find these claims unconvincing.

Consider the way the BRICS leaders bulldozed their way into Goa. The summit was thrust on our society, the environment was damaged during road-widening, fisherfolk were prevented from pursuing their livelihood during the summit and ordinary people who make a living along the roadside have been displaced – to give the visitors a false impression of our state. Tibetans who wanted to raise the status of Tibet with China were arrested and imprisoned.

We have raised constructive critiques of BRICS in our plenaries and workshops. But beyond the analysis, we understand that only people’s power and activism, across borders, can make change. Some of our most successful struggles – such as access to life-savings medicines or ending apartheid – required and were strengthened by international solidarity. This Forum found many routes forward for cross-cutting BRICS internationalism on various issues.

We recognise the need for a just solution to the Syrian crisis in accordance with the principles of international law, and condemn the US-backed aggression and the Pentagon/NATO doctrine of regime change. We reaffirm our solidarity with the Palestinian struggle against colonialism and occupation, and we endorse Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions against apartheid Israel, including opposition to Israel’s attempted export of its unsustainable water and agricultural technologies to BRICS countries.

We intend to win our demands for social, economic and environmental justice. The victories we have won already on multiple fronts – such as halting numerous multinational corporations’ exploitation, gaining access to essential state services, occupying land and creating agricultural cooperatives,  and generating more humane values in our societies – give us momentum and optimism.

In 2017 and beyond, the BRICS People’s Forum will reconvene, and redouble our efforts with new-found allies and united transcontinental movements in solidarity and struggle from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The original source of this article is Global Research