Raquel Gan

APEC stated very clearly – reject all form of protectionism and embrace a very open liberal economy. Yes, back to basics, free trade and more free trade. It looks more like going back to square one instead; we are embarking our first step again to bring about another financial crisis (in the future). Have we not learn from our history lesson? Again, I believe everybody will be horrified if a government decided to wipe out the Jews race again, which I believe everybody should be just as horrified that our governments have decided to promote Adam Smith’s free market theory again. The great depression in 1929 is the failure of Adam Smith’s theory;  maybe Asians didn’t feel the impact as much back then, but now that we are striving forward in economic terms, we are in greater risk of experiencing what US and Europe had experienced in 1929. Finally, the 1970s recession brought upon by world-wide opening up their economies is another exmaple of free market weakness as well. Even the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the last global financial crisis has its roots to our free market, free trade policies.

I couldn’t emphsize more on the downsides of free trade. The governments are again going back to adopt it which is the exact root cause of poverty! Mexico President Felipe Calderon even used NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement) as an example to encourage Asia Pacific to enter free trade! However, according to some actual facts, Mexico farmers are worse off since NAFTA and terrorist group is formed on day 1 of NAFTA formation.Why would any ordinary farmer with a family to take care of resort to join a terrorist group? It is definitely because NAFTA would make him incapable to take care his family anymore. My dear Asians mates, can you see what we are getting ourselves into?

Finally, free market has this ability to increase the volumn of economy in short period of time. It means we will receive news that our GDP is rising, goodnews? NO! It would only make the income inequality gap greater. Furthermore, with globalization in place, the production rates will be increasing tremendously, pollution and more pollution. Finally, China the biggest polluters in the world has not made any committment to ease their irresponsible action. However, it is solely China’s fault? I doubt so, the international brands are setting their production there, polluting China even more! It’s a cycle, why are we gearing ourselves to another loop of it?

Saw this cartoon on the newspaper few days back:

I’m neither the one who drew that nor I’m the only one who realize the consequences of the APEC summit this year. If you have read this entry till this far, I hope you will make an effort to share the content to the next person you see today.

I’m still trying to organize my links on the sidebar for wider information to be retrieved, but there’s really many sources that I cant remember. I guess i shall leave it as it is and update when it sparks me.

Few weeks back in tutorial, I asked my 2 China classmates whether they support their government s’ action and stand in Xinjiang and Tibet. They said yes; which I never expect so it really shocked me for that few minutes. 1 of them said ‘they deserve it’ while the other say ‘they caused too much inconvenience because government became strict in internet control so her friends were having problems in sending email’. Ok, back to the ‘they deserve it’, seriously how do they deserve it? To me, its just like saying the jews deserved to be killed by the nazis. what have the jews done to be killed, and what the tibetans done to be punished? If people can rush in and say ‘no the jews doesn’t deserve it’ so why can’t they understand that the tibetans doesn’t deserve it either! Tibet was INVADED; so if japan still control Korea and northern China, wouldn’t anybody jumped in and say’ hey japan, i think its time to return those land back’. So, is it wrong for Tibetans to say ‘Hey China, its time to return us our land and GOVERNMENT’. There has been history of invasion of Tibet from China (on and off), and the final one was when Mao took over China and immediately decided to ‘bring Tibet back to China to unite’. how nice was that?! sounds more like propaganda to me. after so many years, Tibet as no use to China, its just heaps of mountains what good use can it be? China cant be building some factories and create another Beijing there, it would be too costly. The orthodox thinking was to have Tibet as a buffer zone from India. Hence both India and China wants Tibet since a long long time ago. Now that terrotiory threat is really insignificant, shouldn’t China consider granting the Tibetans’ freedom. furthermore, they are so different in culture, language, how possible can they be a united sovereignty? to think back, i really feel like slapping the smug face that classmate have when he said ‘they deserve it’. and now to the ‘they caused inconvenient’, i’m beginning to wonder where she had gone wrong with her interpretation. ‘They’? i think it refers to the government more appopriately; do not blame on the innocent lives who wanted freedom but for your government who are still afriad of external power and pressure. this classmate, obviously from well-to-do family, born without worries only critique on problems she received from her end. whereas, tibetans like the aborginals in australia, is slowly losing their values and cultures.

This beautiful piece of land, blame it on her geographical position, caused her so much trouble over hudred of years. Even in modern period of civilised society, still unable to retrieve their lost since the unreasonable totalitarian rules.