File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/97-01-27.123, message 19


From: Michael Hoover <hoov-AT-fn3.freenet.tlh.fl.us>
Subject: M-I: Economic freedom (fwd)
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 97 18:23:34 18000


Forwarded message:
> Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 23:44:44 -0800 (PST)
> From: Michael Eisenscher <meisenscher-AT-igc.apc.org>
> Subject: Economic freedom
> To: Recipients of conference <labr.party-AT-conf.igc.apc.org>
> >
> >WHEN "ECONOMIC FREEDOM" BARS CHEWING GUM  
> >	By Norman Solomon  /  Creators Syndicate  
> >  
> >America's top business newspaper has put out a fascinating document called 
> >the 1997 Index of Economic Freedom. It's a thick book that illuminates the 
> >priorities of Wall Street Journal editors, who teamed up with the influential 
> >Heritage Foundation to rank the countries of the world.  
> >  
> >So, which sovereign nation scored highest in economic liberty?  
> >  
> >The answer: Singapore.  
> >  
> >In Singapore, the indexers of "economic freedom" have seen the future, and 
> >it works: "an efficient, strike-free labor force...no minimum wage...no 
> >antitrust regulations."  
> >  
> >But some significant facts go unmentioned. For instance, chewing gum has 
> >been illegal in Singapore since 1992. The government recently reaffirmed 
> >the ban and warned citizens that ordering gum from foreign mail catalogs 
> >could bring a year in jail and a fine of $6,173.  
> >  
> >The crackdown came after authorities blamed wads of gum for jamming 
> >subway doors. Evidently, the visionary leaders of Singapore have realized 
> >that people can't have economic freedom and chew gum at the same time.  
> >  
> >Nor do financial liberties on the Asian island extend to anyone who might 
> >want to buy or sell -- or read -- a copy of Watchtower magazine. The 
> >Jehovah's Witness religious group and its literature have been banned in 
> >Singapore for a quarter of a century.  
> >  
> >Throughout last year, at least 40 Jehovah's Witnesses were behind bars in 
> >Singapore for refusing military service on religious grounds. Amnesty 
> >International calls them "prisoners of conscience."  Dozens of other 
> >Jehovah's Witnesses spent weeks in jail for "peacefully exercising their 
> >right to freedom of expression."  
> >  
> >The unfettered commerce that dazzled the "economic freedom" indexers 
> >does not include the exchange of ideas or information. As the Associated 
> >Press reported last spring, Singapore "has some of the world's strictest 
> >media controls." 
> > 
> >And Singapore's methods of punishment remain harsh. Brutal caning is 
> >mandatory for vandalism and 30 other crimes. Death by hanging awaits 
> >those caught with 500 grams of marijuana. As you might guess, dictator Lee 
> >Kuan Yew has scorned "decadent" notions of civil liberties.  
> >  
> >Ranked just behind Singapore -- and also classified as "free" in the Index of 
> >Economic Freedom -- is Bahrain. The small Persian Gulf country wins 
> >profuse accolades: "a free-market economic system...no taxes on in-come or 
> >corporate profits...no capital gains tax...few barriers to foreign in-
> >vestment...a vibrant and competitive banking market with few government 
> >restrictions."  
> >  
> >Overall, in Bahrain, "businesses are free to operate as they see fit." To 
> >investors, that's high praise indeed. But you wouldn't know from the report 
> >that Bahrain is a traditional monarchy. Long ruled by the al-Khalifa family, 
> >it's a nation that gives plutocracy a bad name.  
> >  
> >A royal decree abolished Bahrain's parliament 22 years ago, and since then 
> >the government has suppressed dissent. During the mid-1990s, several 
> >thousand people were arrested for pro-democracy street protests. Amnesty 
> >International notes that Bahrain's recent political detainees have included 
> >"children as young as 10."  
> >  
> >In Bahrain, the past year has brought "large-scale and indiscriminate 
> >arrests," says Human Rights Watch. "Serious, extensive and recurrent 
> >human rights abuses continued in the form of arbitrary detention, abusive 
> >treatment of prisoners and denial of due process rights." Torture has been 
> >common. But "there were no known instances of officials being held 
> >accountable."   
> >  
> >Clearly, political tyranny can be quite compatible with the kind of 
> >economic order favored by folks at The Wall Street Journal and the 
> >Heritage Foundation. The touting of countries like Singapore and Bahrain is 
> >proof that one-dimensional fixations are foolish -- and dangerous.  
> >  
> >Despite persistent efforts by some media outlets and think tanks, it's not 
> >possible to credibly separate the flow of money from the exercise of power. 
> >Every day, much of the real world is buffeted by a political version of the 
> >golden rule: Those who have the gold make the rules.  
> >  
> >All too often, terms like "economic freedom" get defined in ways that just 
> >so happen to favor the interests of the wealthy few. In the process, such 
> >definitions set aside democratic values.  
> >  
> >Inadvertently, the 1997 Index of Economic Freedom renders a valuable 
> >public service. It shows that narrow concepts of "economic freedom" can be 
> >catastrophic for genuine human freedom.  
-- 





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