Free trade frees people

At the recently concluded WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong, the international F2T campaign made itself heard over the din created by the anti-trade, and anti-globalisation groups. The small group, less than twenty people from almost every continent, had gathered across the Hong Kong harbour to symbolically break down the trade barriers.

The demonstration involved members of the F2T breaking chains and tearing down walls, representing the many barriers to trade imposed by governments. The Coalition used the demonstration to call on world leaders to permit real freedom to trade, removing all barriers including quotas, tariffs, subsidies and protectionist regulations. The F2T Coalition believes that free trade is fundamental to eliminating poverty, promoting development and achieving political and economic freedom.

The protest attracted more policemen and press people than ‘protestors’. But the novelty was not lost. It is not often that one saw a pro-trade, pro-globalisation street demonstration. The F2T protest stood out, particularly in sharp contrast to the big anti-trade demonstration near the WTO meeting. Therefore the lack of numerical strength was more than made up by the uniqueness of F2T. The media coverage of F2T in Hong Kong, and elsewhere, was quite extensive.

The freedom to trade (F2T) movement has come a long way in the last few years. The success of F2T in Hong Kong, once again showed that with coordination, creativity and a little preparation the liberal, free market, pro-globalisation voices can very well make themselves heard. International gatherings such as the WTO provide very good opportunity to capitalise on the focus on trade, and make the case for free trade and highlight the benefits of globalisation.