IN view of how COVID-19 has changed the world’s trajectory on all aspects, there has been serious discussion on the sustainability of the economic system driven primarily by capitalism.
“It has failed to safeguard mankind terribly from the pandemic. Plus, capitalism’s trajectory was also put on trial during the global climate summit COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.
“It was upsetting that leaders of the world gave nothing but empty promises and greenwashed capitalism as sustainable way to go,” PSM secretary general A Sivarajan told FocusM.
With that in mind, PSM and key leftist parties from Southeast Asia will be hosting their biennial International Conference (Socialism 2021) virtually, which will be held over two weekends, Nov 27-28 and Dec 4-5, with the theme Overcoming the Multiple Crises of Capitalism.
The mega-conference will be covering a wide-range of topics, among them being:
- Building an Equitable Healthcare System for the 21st Century
- Dictatorship, Fascism and Authoritarianism: Challenging the Far-RightToday
- Capitalism’s Economic Crises: People vs Profit
- Fighting for Gender Equality: Socialist Feminist Perspectives
- The Climate Crisis: Why Green Capitalism Cannot Save Us
Among the key speakers who will share their ideas in the four-day conference are:
- Vijay Prashad; an Indian historian, journalist and author
- Walden Bello; the International Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Binghamton and co-chairperson of the Bangkok-based research and advocacy institute Focus on the Global South
- Reihana Mohideen; a veteran socialist and feminist activist
- Saleh Moslem, a member of the co-presidency council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in the Autonomous Administration of North & East Syria/Rojava
- Sam Wainwright; Socialist Alliance co-convener, Fremantle City Councillor, Australia
Sivarajan said that it was time for economies of the world to consider alternative models which was not too focussed on maximising profit alone but also the people’s wellbeing and solidarity.
“And Socialism 2021 Conference is one such platform to analyse international politics, imperialism, capitalism, worker struggles, climate change, gender issues and much more from a socialist perspective.
“With these concrete ideas, we can mobilise with conviction for change,” he stated.
For details, please contact Sivarajan at 6010-258 0455 or visit https://socialismconf.org/. Alternatively, interested individuals can also reach out via email at [email protected] or [email protected]. – Nov 18, 2021.
