Capitalism Fouls Things Up
Demonstrations were held across Canada and around the world in November to mark the first anniversary of the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders by the Nigerian military dictatorship. In Nigeria the dictatorship of General Sani Abacha remains in power and continues to thumb its nose at both international public opinion, which has condemned its actions, and at the Ogoni people, one of many minority peoples in the state of Nigeria.
While the Ogoni people continue to suffer under the brutal conditions imposed by the alliance between the Nigerian military and the Shell Oil company, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, an eight-nation committee charged with discussing further measures against Nigeria, has postponed any decision until its members can visit the West African nation. This visit was scheduled to take place in November but as of this report no sign of any significant action from this body has yet emerged. Despite the time involved to organize a consumer boycott of Shell, opponents of the Nigerian regime are willing to wait it out. Globe and Mail correspondent Ijeoma Ross quotes Dr. Usman Akano, a spokesman for the Canadian Organization for Human Rights and Democracy in Nigeria as stating that, "There's no big company, no multinational that can withstand public opinion for too long."1 Support for the struggle of the Ogoni people continues to grow internationally.
As evidence mounts that the earth's ozone layer continues to disintegrate, the Cuban government recently opened a plant in Santiago de Cuba to produce a refrigerant gas "1b-12" as a substitute for chlorinated fluorocarbons (CFCs), the traditional refrigerant coolant that is primarily responsible for the break down of the earth's ozone layer. The plant "will produce a gas whose natural components, unlike Freon, do not affect the environment. The plant's output will allow for the stable functioning of more than 100,000 refrigerators and cold storage chambers."2
On a more cynical note, Marc Thiessen, a spokesman for US Senator Jesse Helms, has attacked the Cuban government for its role in polluting the environment. The attack is associated with the ongoing American campaign to discourage foreign investment in the Cuban economy. Thiessen's attack was directed specifically at Sherritt International Corp's. nickel mine in Moa, Cuba. He alleges that Sherritt's mine is dumping aluminum, chrome, magnesium and sulphuric acid into the sea.3 Sherritt International Corp. is a Canadian company with a number of investments in Cuba. While the accusations are serious they were not backed up with any evidence and look like a cynical ploy to discredit the Cuban government. The US Congress is not known for its devotion to protecting the environment.
In a last gasp bid to keep the ailing Canadian nuclear industry alive the Canadian government announced in November the sale of two Candu nuclear reactors to the Chinese government at a cost of $4 billion. The sale has been widely condemned by environmental and peace groups across Canada.
In order to achieve the sale the Chretien government flouted its own rules that require that an environmental assessment be done on all federal government-funded projects if one is not required by the recipient country. In order to ensure a quick agreement with China, the Canadian government is amending the regulations under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to exempt the Candu sale from full public scrutiny.
Chretien claims that trade with countries like China will make them more democratic. However, as Elizabeth May, executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada pointed out, "...we are not making China more democratic. China is making us less democratic."4 If we really want to help the Chinese people cope with their increasing energy needs we should be promoting the use of renewable energy forms like wind, solar and photovoltaics, not contributing to the further spread of environmentally-destructive nuclear energy.
1. Ross, Ijeoma , "Nigeria unchanged a year after executions", The Globe and Mail, November 11, 1996, p. A10. (Back to Text)
2. Granma International, October 1996, p. 6. (Back to Text)
3. Heinzl, John and Paul Waldie, "Our man in Havana", The Globe and Mail, November 16, 1996, p. B1. (Back to Text)
4. McKenna, Barrie, "Candu sales pitch to China cleared", The Globe and Mail, November 8, 1996, p. A4. (Back to Text)