SOME COMMENTS TO THE SPEECH OF MR ROMANO PRODI ON THE ECONOMIC FUTURE RESULTING FROM GLOBALIZATION.

Mr. Romano Prodi's discourse (below) is very encouraging and full of hope for the future of the global society. We heard these kind of discorses hundreds of times but it seems they carry no changes for the common peoples. Regarding Mr. Romano Prodi's WTO welcoming statements I remember an interview He gave recently at the commemoration of Mr. Cuccia, his friend, head of the Mediobanca, (the biggest financial institute in Italy) and a charismatic figure of the italian multilateral financial sector. Mr. Prodi told: 'As an economist Mr. Cuccia had always in mind to support the growth of italian key industries (big industries) through a financial support, which he build up until the age of 90th. What Cuccia suggested us, young economists 20 year ago, was to safeguard, with any means, the italian big industries (key industries). At that time we, young economists, thought that liberal international interchange and financial exchance were the engine and the 'life' of the economy. But we have to regreat now, after 20 years, because we do not have anymore key industries in Italy. It was better to follow his suggestions" In the discourse below Mr. Prodi is again encouraging liberalisation policies from WTO and it seems not clear why He is again contraddicting himself and undermine the negative consequences that these global liberalisation policies had and have on the economy. I can add some comment to his proposition >> ... This is why I would welcome a new WTO trade round based on four >> key principles: liberalisation -- including better market access for >> the developing countries, stronger and updated rules, sustainable >> development and the need to respond to the concerns expressed >> by civil society.... You cannot encourage more liberalisation if there is a wide gap on economic development between countries. That will bring exploitation by the strongest units over the weaker one. Only if two or more countries has reached a similar level of development they can merge to become a singular economic unit. >> ... A new trade round would help give people all over the world a share >> in the benefits of globalisation, bridging the wealth divide.... How many years more that will take? Prout state that the world wealth are first for garantying to everybody the minimum necessity of life. So there is not question of how to divide the wealths or divide it on charitable principles. It is a birth right of everybody to get these minimum essentialities of life. And it should become a constitutional right. >> ... In the national arena there is no alternative to democracy... Actually democracy is the best system of administration compare to monarchy and totalitarism. Political Democracy still has some defects whic has to be corrected, but the biggest blow of Political Democracy is that it goes hand in hand with capitalism. With to day political democracy the garanty of minimum necessities it is not possible because, democracy is influenced by capitalism and it allowed capitalism itself to step over any moral, social, democratic values. Political Democracy as it is, cannot be accepted as a real alternative. It is more acceptable a reformed political democracy and even better the so called Economic Democracy. This can solve more directly and definetly the unsolved problem left by the two systems: political democracy and capitalism. There are four requirements for Prout's economic democracy: 1. The minimum requirements, including food, clothing, housing, education and medical treatment, must be guaranteed to all. Not only is this an individual right, it is also a collective necessity, because the easy availability of the minimum requirements will increase the all-round welfare of society. 2. In order to realize this goal, increasing purchasing capacity must be guaranteed to all. Local people will hold economic power, so that local raw materials will be used to promote the economic prosperity of the local people. It means that the raw materials of one socio-economic unit should not be exported to another unit. Instead, industrial centers should be built up wherever raw materials are available. This will create industries based on locally available raw materials and ensure full employment for all local people who then may trade their demi-essential and non-essential refined wares with people of other localities. 3. In economic democracy the local people will have the power to make all economic decisions, to produce commodities on the basis of collective necessity, and to distribute all agricultural and industrial commodities. Economic liberation is a birth right of every individual. 4. Outsiders must be strictly prevented from interfering in the local economy. In order to strengthen the political system and make it conducive to economic democracy, Prout advocates certain democratic reforms. These includes eliminating the age of suffrage and instead give the politically conscious the right to vote; as well as introducing the concept of compartmentalized democracy, where the secretariat is kept free from pressures from the cabinet If this economic democracy is applied than the political democracy will become strong and not influenced by economy, exploitation will be minimize if not ended. So we apreciate much the discourse of Mr. Romano Prodi, but I feel for the moment, a different aproach to problems is needed. 14/09/2000