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World Social Forum Rocks Mumbai
Sharma, who runs the Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security in Delhi, campaigns against GM crops and points out that they have no long-term resistance to insect attack and so the apparent gains could well be an illusion.
The polarisation of opinion over GM reflects a much wider debate about the shape of economic development, and whether the emphasis should be from the top-down or the grassroots. The World Social Forum was formed as a response to the World Economic Forum held at Davos, the focus of which is seen as too narrowly economic and too market-driven. The WSF aims to champion local economic initiatives and promote a more holistic concept of development, based on quality of life rather than pure economic growth. According to organiser Gautam Mody, "People can come here and contaminate each other so that we can find new ways to work with each other." The 'contamination' is an ironic reference to the alleged effects of GM. This year, the forum's Free Tibet march
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agendas were broader than opposition to 'big business' and finding alternatives to corporate capitalism. It addressed issues of racial, religious and caste discrimination, and the widening inequalities that arise from distorted economic development. India's economic miracle, for instance, is based on pockets of hi-tech development and a mass migration to the cities, with large sections of the rural poor becoming poorer in relative and absolute terms.
The Iraq war and its aftermath also cast a shadow over the proceedings. Protesters carried images of President Bush and delegates stressed the need to advance peaceful solutions to international conflict. "We are propeace and against war," Hassan, a delegate from Tunisia told The Guardian. This sums up the positive spirit of the conference, but the challenge is to put some of these ideals into practice in a volatile international climate. Delegates also emphasised that poverty and discrimination led to
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violence, and were forms of violence in themselves. There were a wide range of speakers, including Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winner economist, who used to work for the World Bank. He argued that world trade 'liberalisation' was in reality a form of protectionism in favour of multinationals against smaller companies, in favour of rich nations against poor ones.
Although WSF supporters come at this stage mainly from the radical left, their concerns have a far wider significance and are shared by members of many faith communities. The procession in Mumbai was led by hundreds of red-robed Buddhist monks. Jains are less visible at such events. Nonetheless, Jain values have much to contribute to the debate over globalisation. Jains have always opposed inequalities that prevent people from reaching their full potential. They oppose all forms of violence, whether against human beings, animals or other forms of life, and work for reconciliation between enemies or rivals. Jain thinking is holistic, admitting complexities and shades of meaning instead of polarisation that leads to conflict. Perhaps a Jain Social Forum is a project for the future.
Aidan Rankin
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