Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 14:10:12 +0200 (SST)
From: RICHARD PITHOUSE <pithouse-AT-pixie.udw.ac.za>
Subject: Re: M-G: Why do Malaysians "not" need that dam, Richard P?


On Tue, 22 Oct 1996, Rolf Martens wrote:

> Why do Malaysians "not" need that dam, Richard P? [Sent: 22.10.96]
> 
> Richard Pithouse, South Africa,
> 
> Thank you for an interesting mail on 21.10. On one particular
> point, I disagree with you and would like to put a question to
> you. It's on a matter which, I think, today is of importance in many
> countries.
> 
> But the Malaysians need electricity very badly! For the immediate
> well-being of the ordinary people, and for the vital industrialization.
> (I'm not saying the present Malaysian regime isn't quite bad. But 
> that is no reason for being against the country's modernization, is 
> it?)
> 
> It seems to me that you have accepted an extremely reactionary
> imperialist "theory", which says that the peoples and countries of
> the third world should *not* have modern industry. The motive
> behind it is that the most extreme reactionaries want to keep
> them in poverty forever, so that they can continue to be used as
> very cheap labour. They fear conditions for revolution will improve
> with modernization and industrialization.
> 
> Are you not quite wrong in your thinking here?

Quite possibly I am wrong with regard to this particular dam. I read 
some stuff some time ago which made a pretty convincing case for 
the view that this deal served the interests of the British economy and the 
Malaysain elite but not the Malaysian people as a whole. However as I 
have no particular knowledge here I may well be wrong.

I agree with you 100% that industrialised countries have no right to 
prevent the third world from industrialising on "environmental grounds". 
It's usually sheer hypocracy. However I also think that we need to be 
nuanced in our support for industralisation and not give it blanket 
uncritical support. Very often industrialisation does not serve the 
interests of the people. You may have heard, for example, of the case of 
the British company Thor Chemicals, who caused serious suffering here by 
allowing Mercury to seep into our rivers. Industrialisation is often 
short term enviromental rape which only confers (unsustainable) bennefits on 
local elites and western captial. A useful test is to see where support 
for a particular programme of industrialisation comes from. 

You are absolutely correct in your comments about electrification in 
South Africa. It has been the most and perhaps only successful part of 
the RDP (Reconstruction and Development Programme) and has made a huge 
contribution to many people's lives. It is driven primarily by the state 
owned corporation Eskom and this may be the difference between 
electrification here and in Malaysia. There is no profit motive here and 
there is no foreign captial involved. It's an indigenous initiative.
But as I said I don't have any particular knowledge of the Malaysian 
situation. I shouldn't have used that example.

Cheers
Richard Pithouse


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