Raquel Gan

If you want to find really systematic, organize or critically in-depth readings from my blog, I say its impossible. My friends and families would have agree with me; I’m only good at words to make people feel worse and I’m not intelligent enough to analyse big issues here. However, I hope I’m able to convince or maybe hinder your thoughts/actions on getting a new mobile (when you don’t really need one at all!) here. While to those with two mobiles: choose one, take out your very valuable sim-card which the mobile operator might have manipulated you in signing a two years bond to secure their profits for superficial, wasteful lifestyle and dished that mobile into the recycling bin (yes, don’t even bother a trade-in). This refers to my mum as well, but she will never understand this because of her orthodox teachings she received which emphasized on thriftiness. I forgive her generation.

I do not understand Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) very well. My little contact with her is through a book, Blood River by Tim Butcher who travelled into Congo in 2000 (http://www.bloodriver.co.uk/). It was considered extremely dangerous due to the long ‘ethnic conflict’ taking place. I would emphasize the phrase ‘ethnic conflict’; if you ever again came across ‘ethnic conflict’ being used in any books or articles, it is just a cover-up of political or economical means by government or profit-seeking organizations. Hence, I’m trying to put a point that the main problem in DRC is not ethnicity differences but of economical reason. DRC contains one of the most precious resources in this world; not oil, but just a metal named coltan. How can coltan be termed as precious when you or any of your friends never even heard of it. However, it’s everywhere, inside our mobile phones, occupying a tiny space but too critical to be left out. Now, is it not precious to us, the capitalism slaves? If you have the courage to say ‘I can survive without my mobile phone for a day’ or ‘I am never looking around for a better mobile’, then you and I are just assisting in destroying DRC whose citizens have forgotten how a smile looks like. Now, who really cares whether DRC has that much supply of coltan in their land. First, we pollute their land, their very massive and beautiful river. This destroyed the living organisms, destroyed the food chain, destroyed their livelihoods. Deforestation taking at a rapid rate to open a new mining site everyday, we lose great number of animals.  Second, the killings and raping will never stop because those in illegal control of the coltan need to use physical violence to dominate the civilians. Hence, they can continue to reap the profits through smuggling. Winning is no longer their priority but sustaining it. Third, those that mined the coltan are the DRC citizens but those that get the most profit is not the illegal bandits but transnational companies. Capitalism promote such inequality and I have no solution about it. However, those transnational companies further violated human rights by employing children doing these inhumane jobs termed by us developed citizens. Hence, by employing DRC citizens and even their children for such jobs is simply implying that they are sub-humane. Finally, who has this authority to divide human into social class?

If you think you need a latest technology mobile phone to access internet like FACEBOOK in order to update your status to your 500 friends list, seriously you deserve a slap more than Tiger Woods or Singapore’s Jack Neo.

I hope I did change your mind.

http://www.willthomasonline.net/willthomasonline/Blood_Phones.html

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.