Page 2 Portland Observer N ovem ber 8 1979
EDITORIAL/OPINION
M o b u t u o n his w a y o u t?
by N. Fungai Kumbula
Be counted!
During 1980 a national Census will be taken.
This counting of the nation's residents, which
takes place every ten years, usually misses a large
number of minority people. This year many Black
organizations are urging all Black people to com
plete and return their Census forms and to be
counted.
The Census is important in that it determines
representation and funding. The Census provides
the figures to apportion legislative represen
tatives among the states and within the states. It
is used by the federal government as a basis for
allocation of funds to local governm ents. It
calculate birth and death rates define health
problems and analyze public services.
The federal government uses the Cenus to
distribute about $50 billion a year to states and
local governments, most based on numbers of
citizens and other Census determined data. The
states that do not get an accurate count lose
money.
Numbers determine money in other ways. The
total population over 18, with less than five years
education, determines the am ount of money
allocated to state under the Adult Education Act,
etc.
Another, perhaps more direct influence of the
Census is affirmative action. Requirements for
minority hiring and participation are based on
Census figures. If minorities make up ten per cent
of the work force in Multnomah, they are entitled
to a larger share of the jobs than the current 4.5
to 5.5 per cent designation. Are Black and other
minorities being cheated because they aren't
counted?
The Black community must make a special ef
fort to participate fully in the Census to insure
equal participation in the economic benefits.
No help for Third World
One of the most serious problem s facing
American labor is the flight of major corporations
to the underdeveloped nations where labor is
cneap and government regualtion weak. When
faced with union organizing efforts or requests
for higher wages or safer work places, the multi
national corporations have only to move their fac
tories to Third World nations where they can ex
p lo it both the native populations and the
American public.
Aside from their obvious motive of greater
profits the companies claim they are aiding the
underdeveloped nations -- providing jobs and
raising the standard of living.
The H all Street Journal -- the spokesman for
captal said recently, "In many nations beset by
widespread poverty, investment and trade by
m ultinationals has done little to create jobs.
There is evidence that foreign investment along
with unenlightened government policies, has
done just the opposite: made jobs disappear."
Multinationals have Third World investments
of more than $20 billion. The United Nations says
these companies have created fewer than four
million jobs for the 680 million people who need
them
Indonesia is a good example. Due to imported
mechanization, Indonesia has 60,000 fewer jobs
than in 1971. In Indonesia multinationals made 57
per cent p ro fit on their investm ent. A few
wealthy land owners got richer but the poor In
donesians are perhaps worse off than they were
ten years ago. Today, more than 50 m illion
people live on less than 25 cents a day.
Workers pushed off the land by mechanized
farm ing turned to small industries -- making
bricks, soap, rope, baskets and shoes -- but they
were put out of business by modern, foreign-
controlled factories. Indonesian business men --
who would like to be independent - cannot com
pete against the well established multinationals.
Therefore, the small agriculture and home in
dustry economy that once provided subsistance
has been destroyed. The people are left to starve
while the nation's income from the World Bank
and others is used mainly for overseas purchases
which intensify the problems and do nothing to
upgrade the local economy or employ the people.
Done properly - as it has in Japan and Taiwan
-- mechanization can provide employment, draw
the workers from the farms to the cities; thus
raise the value of farm products and eventually
raise the standard of living This requires a plan
ned economy and strong government controls.
Mechanization solely for the profit of foreign cor
porations brings unemployment, d'sruption of
traditional means of production, and destruction*
of the culture.
The multinational corporations that participate
in this form of exploitation should no longer use
the excuse of "helping the people of the under
developed nations ".
Kevin Berry files Bar Association complaint
((. ,>ntmucd from page I col. 6l
flic. of interest.
Mr Aitchtson »as not available
for comment Mr. Bennett told the
Observer that -Xiuhison had joined
hi* firm about two sears ago. and
»hen
appeared tha; a conflict of
interest had developed, that he could
not represent Kevin and the other
Gient. Bennett took Berry's case.
Bennett said he »rote to the Berrys
in June advising them of the trial
date, and that he signed the letter
which should have indicated that he
would be handling the case.
The Berrv's claim no correspond
ence was received. Bennett also
stated that he had been to the Berry
home on several occassions to
ducuss the other case and "other
things” .
Bennett told the Observer that
"the police report clearly indicates
that Kevin instigated the incident,
that he used violent language and
made threats Mr Atichi'on spent
about forty hours, an extra ordinary
time for this type of case, and none
of the witnesses provided by the
Berrys were able to provide evidence
to refute the police charges 1
thought we did a good job and 1 am
willing to have any attorney, or any
judge, look at the file '
Kevin claims he signed the "n o
contest" plea under pressure,
without adequate legal advise He
maintains that he is innocent, that he
wanted a jury trial, and that he was
denied the right to chose his own at
torney His family is frustrated by
the what they perceive to be a failure
of the justice system to afford their
son the opportunity to defend him
self.
The case has drawn interest in the
Black community since Berry
publically charged the police with
brutality in his arrest and those of his
friends and a by slander last January.
PORTLAND OBSERVER
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Ed-toriai column Any othe» m atera throughout the paper .s the
opinion o* the mdrvx)„a-
ter or Subm tte» ana does not neces
sa' iy -ehect the oo-nion o< the P ortland O b v r \ r r
283 2486
ALFRED L. HENDERSO N
E dito r P u b lish e r
N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R epresentative
A m a lg a m a te d Publishers Inc
N ew York
In a heavily guarded compound in
Kinshasa. Zaire, a worried Mobutu
Sese Seko, sits and »aits. All of a
sudden the world has gone crazy.
Until a few years ago, he sat astride
Zaire’s politics: secure in the
knowledge that the entire country
was in the palm of his hand. The ar
my was behind him. The people had
all been cowed into submission. The
V.estern nations were all backing his
regime. What more could a dictator
•
Lately, however, some very crazy
things have been happening and sud
denly the world no longer seems safe
for dictators. Mobutu has watched
with growing concern as one dictator
after another bit the dust. First, there
was the Shah of Iran, followed by
Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua.
Then there was Idi Amin of Uganda
followed in quick succession by
Macias Nguema of Equatorial
Guinea and self-styled emperor Jean
Bedel Bokassa of the Central African
Republic. And now it’s Carlos
Humberto of Guatemala.
Now being a dictator does not
seem like such a good idea after all.
Matter of fact, it seems downright
dangerous when one considers the
fate of Macias Nguema: he »as
executed early last month. W hen Idi
Amin was overthrown by the Ugan
dans with the aid of Tanzanian
troops. Mobutu rushed to Dar Es
Salaam to get assurances from
Pre'ident Nyerere that Tanzania's
troops would not next be turned on
Zaire. Mobutu has survived two at
tempts ai overthrowing him and this
has been due to foreign troops; first
French and Belgian in 197' and then
Morrocan last year. These foreign
troop' repubed an invasion by for
mer Katangese who had been living
in e x ile in Angola
Thev had come back to wrest con
trol of the 3rea, since renamed
Shaba, from the central ad
ministration ol Mobutu and to set up
their own independent republic.
5th Place
Best Editorial
ONPA 1973
Honorable Mention
Herrick Editorial Award
NNA 1973
Mt NX*«
2nd Place
Best Editorial
3rd Place
Community Leadership
ONPA 1975
aasex s o n - Founded taps
3rd Place
Community Leadership
ONPA 1978
NAME_______
.______________
ADDRESS ______ ___________ __ _____________ ___
CITY___________________ STATE____________ Z IP ______
I
CODA
(Continued from page 1 col. 3)
CODA, Ed Leek is obviously out of
touch with his own association
(King) and needs to be reminded of
his role as a representative. Arro
gance begets arrogance. It will be in
teresting to see the proposal presen
ted to that body, but in any case the
strategy is flawed. The Coalition
may be greener grass, but it is not the
roots. By avoiding that step, CODA
is doing the same ol thing to us, in
stead of for or with us. "A hard
head...”
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were so willing to dump Bokassa,
would they hesitate to dump him
too?
His record on human rights is
abysmal to say the least. Complaints
against his authoritarian regime have
been multiplying over the past few
years. His m ishandling of the
economy coupled with corruption
has brought the country close to
bankruptcy on several occasions.
Rumours have been circulating In
Western capitals, that maybe the
time has come to remove Mobutu
and replace him with someone who is
not quite so blatantly dictatorial.
No wonder he Is worried. W ithout
the backing of the French and the
Belgians, Mobutu is a sitting duck.
V> ith all the other dictators gone, it
only seems logical that Mobutu
should be next in line. This year, the
Food and Agriculture Organization,
estimates that between one and three
million Zairois will starve to death.
At the same time Mobutu's holdings,
investments and other stolen loot,
stashed in foreign banks, will net him
several million dollars. Keep
listening: you might very soon hear
the death knell begin to sound for
one more member of an endangered
species: The International Club of
Tyrants, ‘‘effectionately" ab
breviated to ICT.
When you Find
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Community Service
ONPA 1973
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ONPA 1973
They quickly routed M obutu’s
ragtag troops and set up a
provisional government but then the
French and Belgians rushed in and
drove them back across the border
The following year when they at
tacked again, Morroco and Egypt
sent in the troops while the French
and Belgians supplied the arms and
the United States the planes. Were it
not for this foreign intervention,
Zaire would have been rid of
Mobutu.
The ouster of Bokassa in the Cen
tral African Republic has Mobutu
particularly worried especially in the
light of the role the French played.
The coup against Bokassa was
engineered by the French, in a hasty
attempt to preempt Muamar Quad
dafy of Libya owing to Bokassa’s ex
cesses, the CAR had come to the
brink of bankruptcy. His massacre
of those students had prompted even
the French, his principal backers, to
cut off military and financial aid to
his regime.
So, while he was in Tripoli, Libya,
negotating for aid from Quaddafy,
the French moved quickly to unseat
him and replace him with his cousin,
David Dacko, whom he had over
thrown fourteen years previously.
The French were so afraid that if
Bokassa got his aid from the mer
curial Quaddafy, there was no telling
which direction the CAR would take.
Quaddafy is considered one of the
most radical Third World leaders.
So to keep the CAR "on track,” the
French removed their erstwhile pup
pet Bokassa and replaced him with
another, Dacko.
Bokassa had also become a source
of embrassment to the French
because of his much publicized
massacre of schoolchildren. So the
French found in his flirtations with
Libya, the excuse for killing two
birds with one stone; be rid of the
embarassment and also keep CAR in
the "western cam p". This is what
has Mobuto worried: if the French
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