Editorial:

CHOGM and peace

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is to take place in 
Brisbane from October 6-9. It is expected that about 50 heads of 
governments will attend from countries, most of which were formerly British 
colonies. Although all the countries attending have won political 
independence, they remain largely prisoners of British capital. Such is the 
fate of Nigeria whose people groan under the exploitation of Shell.

The sponsors of CHOGM present the organisation as one which "promotes peace 
and international cooperation, democracy and good governance, respect for 
human rights and the rule of law, and the alleviation of poverty through 
sustainable economic and social development". It claims to support 
"international programs for education, health, environmental solutions, 
economic development, access to modern technology and conflict resolution".

The reality for many of the CHOGM countries is much different to the 
promises and fine words. 

As well as being members of CHOGM many of the former British colonial 
countries are also members of the Third World organisation — the G77 and 
the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). As such they are part of the struggle of 
the Third World against the policies of the IMF and World Bank which have 
caused such devastation to their economies.

These countries are also resisting the attempts of the big industrial 
powers, which include the CHOGM countries of Australia, Canada, and Britain 
in particular, to impose a new and unfavourable agenda on the Third World 
at the coming meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) due in November 
in Doha (Qatar).

The objective of those who will be demonstrating in Brisbane during the 
CHOGM meeting should be to support the struggles of the Third World 
countries and their demands for the cancellation of the huge debts which 
most countries are finding impossible to bear. We should be demonstrating 
against capitalist globalisation and all that it means, for fair and 
mutually beneficial trade not free trade, against privatisation, which is a 
big issue of struggle in South Africa at the present time.

In a number of countries such as India, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other 
African countries we should be supporting the demand that land thieved by 
white settlers should be given back to the original owners. To do 
otherwise, despite the problems associated with this, means to objectively 
side with the white settlers and the imperialist countries, which always 
raise a hue and cry whenever their economic interests are threatened.

Another issue is that of indigenous people's rights. "Land Rights 
Queensland writes that CHOGM "will be the opportunity for the Indigenous 
people of the Commonwealth to come together to plan an agenda for 
influencing the individual and collective policies of member governments." 
It continues, "The time has come for indigenous people's rights to be put 
at the heart of the Commonwealth agenda."

But CHOGM is going to be overshadowed by the threat of war against 
Afghanistan and other countries in the immediate future.

The demand for "NO war" is now the most urgent issue and is likely to sweep 
all other issues aside. The British, Australian and Canadian Governments 
will be attempting to line up all other countries into the so-called "anti-
terrorist alliance" which is nothing more than an attempt to conscript all 
countries to the US agenda.

Rather than pursuing the shortsighted and divisive tactic of attempting to 
"Stop CHOGM" or "Close it down", demonstrators should be supporting the 
Third World countries in their urgent demands. CHOGM is not a meeting of 
the IMF or the World Economic Forum.

Let CHOGM become a united protest against the real danger of another US-
sponsored war, which would inevitably have catastrophic consequences for 
Afghanistan if that impoverished country is to be the first target of 
warmonger Bush. But the US transnational corporations have a much wider 
agenda and, according to Donald Rumsfeld, they have no less than 60 
countries in their sights.

CHOGM provides an opportunity to demonstrate against Tony Blair and John 
Howard who are foremost among the US cheerleaders for war. At the same time 
it is an opportunity to support the demands of the Third World. That is the 
best way by which to strike a blow against corporate globalisation, the 
IMF, World Bank and WTO.