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Ugandan Political Economist Yash Tandon Calls For Moratorium On Negotiations Between African Countries and the European Union (EU)

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Yash Tandon: African countries should first create their own regional common market before opening to the EU and others/IPSnews

Former Prime Minister Owen Arthur some say sacrificed his government because of the disproportionate amount of time he spent during his last term dealing with CSME and EPA matters. Barbados and the other members of Cariforum despite concerns raised by NGOs and others about the implications of signing-off on the EPA moved forward anyway.

Earlier this month respected Ugandan political economist Yash Tandon issued the following comment, the current course of the talks on economic partnership agreements (EPAs) is particularly destructive for low income African countries and may contract democratic space in such countries even further.

We hope the local and regional media will follow-up on the news breaking yesterday which supports Tandon’s position. This is important in light of the Canada EPA currently under negotiation. The following is a summary of the EPA seminar held earlier today in Brussels, Belgium facilitated by BU family member ROK, Head of BANGO:

Note the following represents note taking by the ACP Civil Society representative in Brussels whose first language is Dutch.

The ACP and EU views expressed at yesterday’s International EPA Seminar in Brussels, “EPAs in (times of) crisis” (state of play of the EPA negotiations and implementation and the EPAs in the light of the global crises) made very clear that :

1. 8 years of EPA negotiations (2002-2010) were a disaster;

2. there is a ‘fatigue’ in ACP countries and in EU members States: the majority is tired or not interested in EPAs anymore.

3. main reason for the failure is that the European Commission has never listened and never taken serious the concerns and needs of ACP countries and has forced the ACP countries and their governments to conclude the EPAs;

4. ACP representatives spoke about unethical and unrespectful negotiations practices of EU representatives in their countries, putting pressure on ACP exporters to influence their governments to conclude the EPAs;

5. the impact of the global crises (food, financial, economic, climat change) on ACP countries makes it necessary and urgent to rethink the EPAs, and in case of the Caribbean to review and not to ratify the CF-EC-EPA.

7. Calls were made to suspend or block the EPA negotiations.

Civil organisations contributing to the organisation of the seminar were: ActionAid, African Trade Network, APRODEV, Africa Groups Sweden, Caribbean Policy Development Centre, ENDA, Forum Syd, ICCO, Oxfam International, Pacific Network on Globalisation, Partnership for Change, SOS Faim, Third World Network Africa, Transnational Institute, Traidcraft, and 11.11.11.(Marc Maes)

The Key note address was made by Martin Khor, Director South Centre: EPAs in times of crises

Civil society perspectives on the state of the play by:

  • Maureen Penjueli (Pacific Network on Globalisation): Pacific perspectives
  • Cheikh Tidiane Dieye (ENDA) : African perspectives
  • Shantal Munro (Caribbean Policy Development Centre) : Caribbean perspectives

The global Food crisis and EPAs :

  • Jean-Jacques Grodent (SOS Faim) : The global food crisis and the right to food.
  • NN, Réseau des organisations paysannes et de producteurs de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (ROPPA): Food crisis, EPAs and African small holders
  • Karin Ulmer (APRODEV) : Can better Safeguards help?

Rethinking EPAs:

  • Emily Jones (Oxford University): Updating the EPAs in light of the crises
  • Sanya Reid-Smith (Third World Network): Services, investments and trade-related issues
  • Viviana Munoz (South Centre): Intellectual property rights

Why is there still only one “full” EPA (and should there be more) ?

  • Debate among representatives of Civil Society, the EU Commission and the ACP

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19 responses to “Ugandan Political Economist Yash Tandon Calls For Moratorium On Negotiations Between African Countries and the European Union (EU)”

  1. zion1971 Avatar
    zion1971

    Let me see, after over 30 years of preferential trade between Europe and the ACP from the Lome accord to the Contou agreement the question that needs to be asked is who benefitted the most from this trade?. Well, Africa spent most of those decades buying arms and killing each other, the Asians were busy filling their quotas, while we in the Caribbean could barely meet our quota because our production output were fallen year after year. It makes no sense to have all these free trade agreements and preferential access if we donot have the capacity to exploit it. If Europe decide to give the Caribbean acess to their market with the same Lome agreement for the next 100 years it still wouldnot make no significant difference to our region.We are acting like some spoil brat thinking the world owe us special treatment. No country can developed with that type of charity an mendicant mentality of their leaders.

    We in the region need to get with the program. The EPA agreement is not set in stone and is quiet flexible and their is also a 15 years time line to harmonise these agreements. All we need to do is try to exploit the areas of growth and opportunity (especially in the service fields ) and stop the whinning. The other option is to revoke the contract and go it alone. But who are we really fooling?

  2. David Avatar
    David

    @zion1971

    We have these ACP countries who most of then have attracted debt of close or in many cases 100% to GDP yet they have to find the resources to restructure their economies to take advance of the EPAs. Guess how they will have to do it, more debt accumulation.

  3. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    @zion1971

    You ever heard about give with one hand and take back with the next? Check some facts for yourself.

    For example, how much metal does it take to make a car? How much do exporters of African metal get for a ton of metal? How much does the car cost to an African car importer?

    How much a ton do we pay for white sugar and how much are we paid for our raw sugar? Their white sugar is for our consumption while our raw sugar is the basis of a number of their industries.

    One of my problems with those big companies that take our raw materials is that they make several things from one set of raw materials which they pay next-kin-to-nothing for and sell their products at the highest prices. In effect, its adds up to grossly unfair trade. So all the talk about preferential treatment is pure deceit because the preferential treatment price still does not even approach the true value of the raw materials.

    It is not about preferential treatment for them, but about them wanting all the profits; every red cent and forsaking the hand that fed them their wealth, now that cheap alternatives are available… but the problem is that the cheap alternatives are not as versatile, so they threaten us with the cheap alternatives so as to drive our prices down, gaining even more profit from us. If the cheap alternatives were so good, why they still seeking our raw materials?

  4. David Avatar
    David

    @ROK

    To take zion1971 and then your argument you need to go further. For example, why would the now defunct Non Align Movement not have capitalized on this taking advantage of to which you refer?

  5. The People's Democratic Congress Avatar
    The People’s Democratic Congress

    Immediately below is the number of Public Holidays ( the more colloquially but more historically founded alternative term being Bank Holidays ) in Barbados, their names, and some of the definite known dates some fall on.

    As must be known by many people in Barbados in the case of some Public Holidays the dates on which some of them fall will vary from time to time as that they are complicated by other traditions, and as that they are complicated by some legal rules, say, the adding of the following Mondays – as Public Holidays too – when they actually fall on the Sundays.

    Any how, here we go –

    1) New Years Day – January 1

    2) Errol Barrow Day – January 21

    3) Good Friday ( date varies)

    4) Easter Sunday ( date varies )

    5) Easter Monday Bank Holiday ( date varies )

    6) National Heroes Day – April 28

    7) May Day – May 1

    8) Whit Monday ( date varies but falls the Monday right after the seventh Sunday after Easter)

    9) Emancipation Day – August 1

    10) Kadooment Day (varies but is in early August after Emancipation Day)

    11) Independence Day – November 30

    12) Christmas Day – December 25

    13) Boxing Day – December 26.

    Such information tendered, however, it is entirely disgusting and reprehensible the number of Public Holidays, six (6), that at this stage quickly follow one another in the space of seven and half weeks – starting from Good Friday and ending on Whit Monday – in this little place called Barbados.

    Moreover, it is absolutely horrendous that we are into this period when just under 50% of the Public Holidays in Barbados take place in just a matter of seven and half weeks.

    The overall number of Public Holidays in Barbados as well as this number of Public Holidays following so closely behind another are bound to adversely affect the levels of production and productivity in the country; and the levels of income generating activity in the country.

    It is clear that if many people in Barbados wish for Barbados to become a world class society – as our party has properly already planned for – they must pull out all stops in making sure that there is the absolute minimization of leisure and unproductive time in this country, but at the same time make sure there are plans put in place to maximize and greater enhance production and productivity in the interest of the further development of the country.

    For whilst it is entirely in order to have leisure, relaxation and recreation, to have so many Public Holidays and in relatively quick succession is to, on one hand, increase substantially opportunities for too much leisure, relaxation and recreation among many people in the country, but, on the other hand, to lessen the possibilities for a more industrious ( not in the sense of work exploitation) enterprising country.

    Thus, this excessive number of Public Holidays do send an entirely bad signal to many people inside and outside of Barbados – about to the trend that has long been developing in this country since those days when the DLP Government of the time went and established Errol Barrow Day NOT to significantly honour the life of this late great human being – BUT to substantially provide greater opportunities than already existed – during ordinary days and Sundays – for more amounts of leisure, fun, pleasure, unproductive entertainment for so many in this country.

    While such a day was and is necessary from a national perspective, it is a big pity that this day would have come about on the mere motivations of some people who wished in the aftermath of Barrow’s death to present themselves as being more about Barrow/things Barrow than any other persons could have been.

    In essence, in public competition to hoist Barrow’s glory or to take away from it!!

    So, that when Errol Barrow Day was created in the late eighties it also reflected the personalized desire of some to make use of state power and authority to create greater opportunities on the day for greater leisure, fun and merriment than normally attained in the country, rather than having signaled the altruistic use of state power and authority to further seriously build on, for example, some of the very things that Barrow and some of his henchmen stood for and did in the interest of the material development of the country – and on some of the very things that other very important people stood for and did in the further democratization of various aspects of the country’s affairs.

    Such as, the state playing an increased role in the further building of the NATION/ the COMMUNITY, and the evolving of state legislative policies that gave rise to the protection of the national sovereignty, constititonal freedoms, adherence to the rule of law, due process, etc.

    However, in Owen Arthur’s becoming prime minister, the trend towards use of Public Holidays for leisure, fun, merriment and picnicing got worse with the creation of National Heroes Day and Emancipation Day as Public Holidays – NOT as days in which the government and its agents would use the power and authority structures of the state to properly nationalize emphasize celebrate the importance of many past monumental achievements and events to today’s Barbados; to further build the nation; to create a stronger national identity and patriotism for Barbados and Barbadians; to influence greater comitments to the NATION/COMMUNITY, but simply to foster a greater hedonistic pleasure seeking culture in Barbados.

    Again, whilst it was and is very important to have such days from a nationalist cultural perspective, it is a big pity that such days were created primarily on the motivations of some who wished to simply present themselves as being more culturally aware than most.

    This time in essence those sets of people being in public competition for the honour and acclaim of being seen by many to be attempting to be doing somethings to rekindle or distract from black/national glory and achievement.

    So, that when National Heroes Day and Emanipation Day came about as Public Holidays in the late 90s, a similar thing that was done in the late eighties when Errol Barrow Day came about then – came about in the 90s with the intentions of some so-called politicians to make personal use of the levers of state power and authority to create greater opportunities on these days for greater eating, drinking leisure, fun and merriment in the country, rather than they showing that they would have made and would have been making proper use of state power and authority to further seriously build on, for example, some of the very things that Bussa, Sarah Ann Gill, Samuel Jackman Prescod, Charles Duncan Oneal, Grantley Adams, Clement Payne, Hugh Springer, Frank Walcott, said Barrow, Garry Sobers, and many of our outstanding other black forbears stood strongly for and did outstandingly in the interest of the further spiritual intellectual social material development of the country.

    Such as, many of those late people actually giving much of their times and making sacrifices to make sure that many of their actions went beyond making certain symbolic gestures and simple utterances by their being part of local, regional and international political, trade union, sporting, movements and apparatuses that were important in making sure too that many affairs of the country were advancing and being strengthened in many ways NOT ONLY from the perspectives of many local people, BUT ALSO from the points of view of many people and many state and non state actors from the region and in the rest of the world.

    But, look how times have changed!!

    We have said it over and over again that both DLP and BLP Governments since Barrow’s death have more than anything else been running this country into the ground in many regards.

    Indeed, the very fact that DLP and BLP Governments have over the years been using existing Public Holidays in Barbados or creating new ones here to help provide for greater fun and frolicking among people and therefore have been as NOT using them to substantially celebrate the historic achievements of others in the past, means that they stand accused of wilfully recklessly faling to make greater use of these days that have been designated as Public Holidays.

    And, as such this gross misbehaviour is further testimony to their extreme incompetence in the management of the affairs of this country.

    However, where the PDC is concerned, there are only 9 existing Public Holidays that are very relevant to crucial aspects of OUR history, that make sense, and that therefore are worthy of being kept.

    Whereas, there are some others that ought be abolished because they are of no relevance to our Barbadian history and culture.

    And, out of those that should remain, there are some which we think that the times that they are celebrated in this country must be changed to bring greater balance between sectors and interests in this country.

    And where we are concerned there must be the creation of Entrepreneur’s Day – NOT a Public Holiday – but an Activities Day in the first week in October.

    So, here we go with the ones we know that ought remain first, that ought be abolished second, and that ought be changed to different times third:

    1) Errol Barrow Day – January 1 – makes sense, and ought therefore to be kept, and on same day.

    2) Good Friday ( date varies) – makes sense, and must therefore be kept.

    3) Easter Sunday (date varies ) – makes sense, and must therefore be kept.

    4) Easter Monday Bank Holiday ( date varies ) makes sense, and must therefore be kept too.

    5) Emancipation Day – August 1 – makes sense, must be kept and on this day.

    6) Independence Day – November 30 – makes sense, must be kept and on this day.

    7) Christmas Day – December 25 – makes sense, has to be kept and on this day.

    8) Boxing Day – December 26 – makes sense, has to be kept and on this day.

    9) New Years Day – January 1 – makes no sense – Abolished.

    10) May Day – May 1 – makes no sense – Abolished.

    11) Whit Monday ( varies) – makes no sense – Abolished.

    12) National Heroes Day – must be renamed Heroes Day however – makes sense, must therefore be kept but shifted to the last week in June.

    13) Kadooment Day – makes sense, must therefore be kept but shifted to start of second last week in August.

    So, there is it!!

    PDC

  6. Donald Duck Esq Avatar
    Donald Duck Esq

    Who paid for al sharpton’s visit to barbados?

  7. zion1971 Avatar
    zion1971

    @ David. A lot of these LDCs in Africa accumulate a large part of their death through corruption by their leaders and arms purchases to fight ongoing civil wars.Now based on my undestanding a lot of them will still be given special treatment and exception within the EPA agreement.They will be given protection in surges in import and their sensitive industry.The all but arms trade is the cornerstone of that agreement. Hiati is a beneficiary of that deal also.

    @Rok. I am fully aware that trade betweeen lage and small economies are not “free” and there will always be an advantage naturally on the side of the larger and more prosperous economies.We cannot continue to think that exporting primary bulk commodities-even if we are being paid over an above the world market prices because of our inefficient operation- is going to make us prosperous. As far as I am concern is we should convert our sugar to feed ourselves and sell the rest as value added branded spirits and other beverages.Banana exporting should move up the value added chain also. I have a friend right now who is experimenting on a Banana and sugar cane liquer. Why not also make branded refine sugar instead and sell it to the gourmet market. The people in the salt industry is doing that themselves.

    If we are going to play this game we need to be smart and creative and concentrate on niche market like the organic market, fair tarde market or the non-traditionals.The world has changed since the WTO came into being and globalisation is upon us, there is no turning back the hands of time and its either we sink or swim.

  8. David Avatar
    David

    @zion1971

    We hear this talk about niche marketing but what niche product/service can Barbados/developing countries produced in volume which can’t be easily replicated by more resource-rich countries?

  9. zion1971 Avatar
    zion1971

    @ David. We in the caribbean are too small to think volume. Our strenght lies in the small volume high -priced value -added agro-procesing industry.All the large rich industrial countries are located in the mid-temperate and temperate region. We are in the tropics. Our growing cyle is year round, that is one advantage.That is why I find it ironic and unbelievable to know that most of the tropical countries are not self-sufficient in their basic food commodities. Wheat , rice and corn is the world staple food , which we in the region mostly import these items.

    Example, we produce one of the best sought after cotton variety( sea Island) in the world, but up until now we have not make use of it to our advantage by moving up the value chain and sell the cotton material rather than the raw product. There are upteem oputunities availbe in the market for spices and herbs especially in the gourmet industry. Neutraceuticals is another area among our indigenous plants. Try as they may no country can successfully replicate a unique product. Jamaica produces on the finest premium coffee in the world , a lot of countries example Japan tries to replicate the coffee with green house technology with no success.

    Another area of under-exploitation is our cocoa industry in the area of premium chocolates. People I am talking about Brand agriculture or “designer” agriculture concept where we concentrate on the high-end of the market. The Israelis were able to use sheer ingenuity , science and technology to transform the negev desert into a a fertile plain and food self-sufficiency. I cant see what is holding us back.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    Thanks zion1971, we are on the same page as far as charting a new path but of course it will take leadership. Barbadians love maintaining the statue quo. It will take some imaginative leadership to shake the dead leaves from the tree. While we can depend on some individuals to use initiative and grab opportunities afforded by EPAs etc we need a national effort.

  11. David Avatar
    David

    Part of the problem is we have these global rankings/ratings which say Barbados’ economy is one of the most prosperous in the world, why therefore would the politicians change it?

  12. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @zion1971,

    You have made very good suggestions.

    Barbados could produce natural cosmetic and skin care products from plants and fruit grown locally.

  13. Technician Avatar
    Technician

    Zion1971 is correct, I was reading recently about the Aloe Vera plant that we take for granted.

  14. ROK Avatar
    ROK

    Yeah Zion1971 is correct. Sometime ago I was writing about us importing aloe hand cream made with inferior aloes and we have potent aloes here.

    I am glad to see that somebody else understands the value of utilising our resources. Quality raw materials is good potential for developing niche markets. See what we doing with Black belly sheep? Exporting original stock. We exporting our good raw sugar for big manufacturers to adulterate and then we import the adulterated foods that killing we and filling we with disease, so we can get foreign exchange.

    It really does not make any sense at all.

  15. David Avatar
    David

    Regarding the refinement of our sea island cotton product (understand we still have a large catchment CARSICOT) stockpiled under guard of the BDF), the explanation has been that Japan and other countries have the infrastructure in place to better produce the finish product. It seems our leaders are happy with this position.

  16. zion1971 Avatar
    zion1971

    @ David. Dont believe that nonsense. I have been told the Island Of Nevis contract an Italian manufacture- rather than sell them the raw lint for US$ 10.00 per pound-to spin the product into cotton which are then sold for a larger mark-up. Barbados sells the lint for $10.00 bucks to the japanese who turns around and make a shirt that sells for US$ 200.00 in their up scale department store-go figure.

    About eleven years ago the west indies sea Island cotton assoiation successfully took the Japenese to court for intellectual property right over the product.The japanese were trying to claim intellectual property rights ownership over our own product that is grown in our backyard.So right now the brand is protected.The french farmers knew the importance of appellations years ago to conserve the quality and portect their brand. Why do you think France has some of the most intelletual property right especially in the area spirit and wines production and cheese making. Names like Champagne, Burgundy, Cognac, are protected registered trade name for region of france.Technically speaking a champgne cannot be called champagne if it is not coming from the champagne region of France.

  17. David Avatar
    David

    @zion1971

    You make some compelling points. The question remains why have successive governments sat on their asses when potentially we have a foreign exchange spinner in our backyard? We must be missing something, ROK can you shed any light on this sea island cotton business? We know the political operatives who visit the blog will stay in their comfort zone talking the usual bullshit which makes the job of the environmentalists that much more difficult.

  18. ac Avatar
    ac

    @ZION1971
    You have my vote! You are absolutely correct in pinpointing the organic market.

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