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MATTEO GUAINAZZI Public Services Coordinating Committee
Well, ten year ago Attac launched the slogan
"Stop Markets' Dictatorship" and people
looked at us weirdly, as if saying "what do they mean". Well, now we now what it means.
we know that to guarantee large international corporations
the benefits they had in the 80's and 90's
which became smaller with time
these large corporations, through
their government and international financial institutions
are trying in any way possible to wipe out
Democracy.
They decide on our name, through non-democratic, non-elected institutions
and one aspect of that class struggle
with large financial organizations, large international corporations
and the world's population is the control of public services
To that end, the struggle for to achieve that
water is recognised as a Common, with public management
for the communities welfare is a central struggle
as all defense of public services in Europe and elsewhere.
What do we propose as Attac
We think that, to stop this onslaught
of privatizations focused on public services in the world
and, in Europe and Spain specially, three things are needed:
There must be a reversal to public management of basic services
which must remain 100% public, without any concession to
any type of privatization
First, because only 100% public management guarantees that these services benefit the community
And, since we are speaking about water, health and education
we're talking about commodities indispensable for people's well being
that cannot be managed for individual profit of compnies
Our second proposal is a mechanism of community management
of democratic management.
Democratic where applicable and community wherever possible.
What that means in practice and as an example we'll speak about the spanish situation
the public company Canal de Isabel II in Madrid
who Attac as well as many other organizations is fighting its privatization
is not an ideal management model
it is a Company with a multinational dimension which has contributed, as public company
through its branches in South America to the privatization of water services in Venezuela and Ecuador
Dominican Republic, has done a lot of damage and harm to people
to users and that should not happen and the way to avoid it
is that management of public services be controlled
by citizenship who can guarantee that all is done not only in the interest
users but that the whole company management is consistent with
its mission as a public service.
And thirdly which particularly concerns Attac as an international organization
who fights agains the financialization fo Economy.
Right now there is a severe danger gravitating over water and all public services
all our Commons and that is Financialization and, what does that mean?
There are financial products on the market
appearing in the financial market internationally
based on natural resources such as water or on the management of companies
There are Funds who are waging on which companies will transfer from public to private
There are investment Funds whose collateral is the production of water
on certain acuifers or springs and that means that
the management of public services and the price of water resources
will not depend on social needs or supply and demand in classic economy
but will depend on speculative manouvres as has happened and is happening with food
as well as with Enery resources
And we are referring to 2008-2009
when the prices on world food increased by 100-150%
and that has meant famine and death for milliions
and that, as has been recognised by world organizations and UN,
was due to international speculation.
And this can happen with water as well and also with the management of these water companies
So this aspect has to be fought for and on which Attac is particularly interested.
How can we put a stop to this?
Well, the only way is with popular mobilization
movilizaitons on a local level to stop these privatizations and international movilizations
so water is, as the United Nations has said it has to be:
a basic resource, a human right for all people.
And, to that end Attac, from the beginning
both in Spain and on an International level has actively participated in the organization
of FAME, because that is the place where we are going to say
loud and clear that water is a Common and not a company resource.
The contribution given by Attac in Spain for this process
and as we are a small organization
and can mobilise a relatively small number of people
but our aim is to be in some way,teathers' trainers or militants' trainers.
It's been clear to us for quite some time that international fianacial processes
are behind all privatization processes active in the whole world
The operation for the privatization of the Canal de Isabel II in Spain, in Madrid
are the interest of a concrete company, Suez
who also controls Aguas de Barcelona
who apparently is interested in buying the majority of shares in the future Corporation
there is an international context, a context Attac is studying and analysing
due to the international nature of its organization who is also vigilant
of the behaviour of transnational companies.
And so, our participation in, for example in Popular Assemblies of the 15-M Movements
everywhere in Spain is trying to pour, to pass on all the knowledge of our
which strictness within these popular movements, everyone acknowledges.
Because naturally it's important, fundamental, critical and essential
that people oppose locally privatization processes
and, at the same time it's very important for people to know what is happening in Madrid
or in Barcelona, it's not just a whim
of a Autonomous Region, of its President
or of someone such as Ignacio Gonzá***, President of Canal de Isabel II
who is striving to move on to the business world after his period as a polititian
These things are important, they are there, but there is an international proccess
and so the enemy we¡'re against, together with Esperanza Aguirre in Madrid
is the Managers of the Suez Holding
who could be the ones controlling water in Madrid
and who are the ones controlling water in Barcelona right now and who decide the price of water in Barcelona
how service is rendered and so that dimension is very important
to identify who is the true enemy agains whom we have to fight
and for that reason we come to FAME, to the World Forum
we talk to other fellow peers, informing them on what's happening here
listening to their experiences and hoping to maintain the level of struggle
which either becomes international or will not be successful.