KRRS's reservations on WSF (deutsch)

The organisers of the Asian Social Forum were to meet me on Decemeber 2, 2002 to have a discussion about KRRS participation in their January meet in Hyderabad.

I wanted to wait till this meeting to let you know about the participation from the South-Asia Region.

The organisers of ASF were here on Decemeber 2, I explained to them why I did not attend the last WSF and also gave them copies of reports containing opinions of some of the main organisers of WSF like Bernard Cassen that “Bush was never as close to Attac as he is now. With a little effort, may be he could become a member ” and the quatation from Attac's newsletter of October -Novemebr 2001 that “Despite bombing, anthrax, despair and death, trade must go on. In all the political tools used, war is in the forefront of further liberalisation in the world” and also of Daniel Cohn-Bendit's [of Attac who is also a Greens member of European Parliament] description of anti- globalisation activists in Europe as being divided between backers of the “old, ultra-left ideologies that are hiding inside” the movement and young people who are in favour of democratisation of the market-economy.............”.

I also told the ASF organisers that I didnot get any reply to the above questions I raised before the last WSF, even from the major organisers like MST which is a part of La Via Campesina along with KRRS in the LVC-ICC.

Besides all this, KRRS also expressed its dissatisfaction about the way in which ASF is being launched only by NGO's little known by the people of India, who are trying to approach mass based grassroots movements only in December 2002 having the ASF in January 2003, which eliminates all expectations of mass movements in India getting to understand and become active constituents of WSF. Indian NGOs usually think that mass movements can be used as appendages which practically becomes very reactionary. It should be the otherway around.

Inspite of all this, the KRRS has offered a compromise formula to the organisers of ASF to try and persuade the organisers of WSF 2004 in India or wherever it is going to be held [as KRRS has it's own doubts whether the Government of India would be willing to permit and provide security to the huge member of delegates in an year of General Election to the Union Parliament] to invite Mr.Fidel Castro to inagurate WSF 2004, whose participation in WSF 2002 was vetoed by one of the main organisers of WSF saying that Castro's participation would divide the movement and that the organisers should know that 'vetoeing Castro's participation also would divide the movement'.

In view of all this, KRRS is not participating in ASF and also WSF 2003, but assures that KRRS will not influence the decisions to do so of other farmers organisations in India They are free to take their own decisions, regarding this.