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People versus APEC While officials from the 18 Asia Pacific "economies" met in a heavily monitored area of Vancouver last weekend, hundreds of activists at the People's Summit were plotting APEC's restructuring--if not its demise--only a few miles away. The parallel summit is convened annually by non-governmental, environment, labour and citizen's organizations from around the Asia Pacific region to discuss alternatives to the current Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) structures and processes--and point out the human costs of fast-track trade liberalization. Despite the relative success of year's People's Summit, serious questions are already being raised about next year. >> Shauna Sylvester, one of the conference organizers, said the arena provides an opportunity for a diversity of voices to be heard that are not on the official agenda--but even those voices have a limited impact. Although the Government of Canada provided $230,000 to this year's summit and Canadian officials met with People's Summit representatives, APEC's only official mechanism of consultation with organizations beyond government is through the APEC Business Advisory Council--a direct channel for private-sector advice to government. >> At the close of the week-long meeting, the 1998 People's Summit organizing committee expressed serious concern that next year's summit, to be held in Malaysia, will be closed and tightly monitored--if it is allowed to occur at all. Jeanne Gutherie of Human Rights Watch pointed out that it is presently illegal in Malaysia for activists to gather in groups of more than four without a permit. Irene Fernandez, one of the few Malaysian non-governmental organization workers who is publicly critical of the government, has been on trial for almost two years for "falsification" of a report. >> Organizers of this year's People's Summit have urged Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy to openly support a 1998 People's Summit in Malaysia. --Jennifer Williams
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