Nations should play by one set of rules

www.mt.m2day.org, 21 April 2009

http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/20879/84/

 

One of the United States’ foremost civil rights activists wants all nations to play by one set of rules to reconstruct the world, especially in the midst of the current economic crisis.
Reverend Jesse Jackson said the nations needed to rebuild their foreign and economic policies, as well as international institutions, to make them more inclusive and cooperative.
He said international treaties must also be rejoined and expanded to include more people, more protections and more nations.
“We need a global economy based on human rights, we need a world economy based on one set of rules for the privileged, as well as the poor.
“We must build a new green economy, to create jobs and wealth, to protect the earth and sustain our species. If we direct our reconstruction to those at the bottom, their pent-up demand will drive the global economy and stimulate our global recovery,” he said.
Jackson was delivering the keynote address at the event series, ‘Bridges-Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace’, at the Multi-Media University (MMU) here today.
The event was attended by International Peace Foundation (IPF) advisory board chairman Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein. Also present were former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is honorary president of Leadership Foundation and his wife, MMU Chancellor Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.
Jackson said the world’s current crisis was due to globalised capital, but added, it (world) did not have globalised human rights, which included workers rights, women’s rights, children’s rights and environmental protection.
“Capital can move quickly, seek out poverty wages and slave labour, and leave behind devastated communities and unfathomable pain, and finance can circle the globe at the click of a button, and trillions of dollars in wealth can disappear in moments,” he noted.
The 2nd Asean event series, ‘Bridges - Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace’ was facilitated by the International Peace Foundation, in collaboration with MMU.
The aim of Bridges is to facilitate and strengthen dialogue and communication amongst societies in Southeast Asia to promote understanding and trust.
Jackson, who is also president-founder of the Rainbow-PUSH Coalition, plays a pivotal role in movements that promote empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality and economic and social justice.
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