David Kilgour’s Generosity
Author: david | Date: December 7, 2007 | Please Comment!Thanks very much to you David for opening our eyes to many of these atrocities across the planet and for opening doors for us in the Parliament of Canada which seems so impenetrable to the average citizen. Like me our 7 Darfuri representatives from Calgary were literally ‘blown away’ by the experience in Ottawa – the grandness of the buildings, the beauty of the City and the opportunity to rub shoulders with MP’s informally as well as in formal meetings, including Senator Dallaire, Senator Mitchell, MP Jason Kenney and MP Michael Ignatieff and MP Irwin Cotler.
My friends were also disappointed, as I was, with the lack of understanding and commitment by many MP’s and apparent unwillingness of the PM to address the needs of the UN Mission in Darfur more actively.
Today (day five of my hunger strike) at Mr. Harper’s office, a policeman met me when I first arrived to hand out leaflets and speak to people of the unspeakable in Darfur. Apparently Mr Harper’s office was concerned about being inundated with people – some possibly upset with the lack of leadership from Canada on this, the first genocide of the 21st century. I indicated that barring visitors was hardly a way to deal with dissent and I assured the policeman that we are all peace-loving Canadians. We are simply seeking our country’s legendary peace-keeping efforts for Darfur. After all, next week Canada celebrates the 50th anniversary of our Nobel Prize for Peace under PM Pearson! What better way to honor our vital role in peace-keeping in countless countries than to show leadership in Darfur?
9:40 am on December 10th, 2007
I feel that the Darfur tragedy is being seriously misrepresented and that this could lead to harmful mistaken action.
There is not a genocide taking place in Darfur, nor a new civil war. It is an old civil war that has waged for two decades over control of massive oil reserves. (Sudan began exporting oil in 1999.)
Sudan is portrayed in our press as a country where Muslim is killing the minority Christians, probably in the interest of adding it to the “war on terror”, but in truth it is incredibly diverse, with over 200 ethnic groups. The killing does not match the definition of genocide, but declaring it as such mandates the U.N. to intervene militarily – exactly the thing oil and mining companies would want.
Furthermore, the escalation of the civil war is not motivated by racism or cultural intolerance. Violence was exacerbated by two factors: First, Sudan just had massive crop failures and 75% of the country works in agriculture. This caused massive unemployment to coincide with a spike in food prices. Second, industrial nations – like Canada – ignored the pleas of poorer countries whose masses are fed by our surplus grains, and decided to convert our extra food to fuel instead of feeding millions of hungry poor. This will be an increasingly murderous program as food prices rise entirely out of the reach of millions of people. According to the U.N. most of the dead in Sudan are dead of starvation or illness!
So what can we do to help? Certainly NOT send troops! Adding more soldiers to a region where farmers are forced to take up arms to feed their families is a recipe for disaster. Starving people can’t stop fighting. The only way to help is to feed them. And the only way to do THAT, since our government won’t hesitate to commit mass murder for profit, is to conserve energy, and destroy the incentive to turn their food into fuel.
I don’t trust the UN mission for a number of reasons. First off, their web site lies when it says “it began in 2003 when rebels began attacking the government”. In reality, it began suspiciously in the middle of 2002-2004 peace talks that were ending a 20-year civil war by granting the rebels autonomy. For a while there seemed a real risk that peace might break out. Second, the problem is obviously food, so we should be deploying farming vehicles and birth control, not tanks. All Canadian soldiers can do by saving the people from death by the sword is promise them a slow death by starvation.
I’ll finish by repeating that this is not a genocide. Even the CIA factbook calls it a rebellion. It is a politically motivated civil war. So please, Dr. Swann, don’t use the g-word anymore. It’s an excuse to avoid saying the f-word: Food.
9:32 am on December 13th, 2007
I appreciate the perspective you’ve shared, but respectfully disagree.
Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, religious or national group (Wikepedia). Genocide in Darfur was used by U.S. government member Colin Powell first, I believe, after substantial investigation. Romeo Dallaire was initially uncertain that Darfur qualified under this definition and is now quite clearly of the opinion that the Government of Sudan’s actions in Darfur constitute genocide. NO doubt food shortage is prevalent, but what is most important is the violent loss of life, children, women and men, which is escalating out of control. There is an opportunity, with sufficient troops, to separate the sides, provide aid again, and move to more constructive peace talks.
I believe Canada can make a significant contribution through the UN and should urgently and generously provide such before all hope is lost.
David
11:08 am on January 18th, 2008
Thanks for taking the time to respond, David… I still find it hard to feel “generous” about sending soldiers to a starving country while burning food in our cars, but I trust you as a politician and an all-around nice guy.