[mgj-announce] Notes from last general meeting

[basav at igc.org]

Notes from MGJ General Meeting
9/28/2005

A. Updates

1. Website

•	Have partial control of domain now. 
•	Some underlying stuff needs to be cleared up. 
•	Control panel needs to be set up for decentralized updates. 
•	Template needs to be made for how the site looks.
•	Training on site soon.
•	Use egroupware or Druple (sp?)? No decision yet.

2. Updates about IMF/WB:

•	World Bank, IMF have agreed to go ahead with the G7 debt deal from the
July summit. Belgium and Netherlands EDs were unsuccessful in their
attempts at scuttling the deal.
•	Two members of Parliament, one from Ghana and one from Indonesia, were
expelled from an IMF meeting where they were scheduled to present a
petition from parliamentarians worldwide, signed by over 1,100 MPs from 55
parliaments. The petition called for democratizing the operations of the
IMF and World Bank and making their policy recommendations subject to
parliamentary approval in borrowing countries. This incident should be
publicized to counter the IMF’s claim that they support increased democracy
and openness in borrowing countries!
•	Switzerland has finally agreed to refund Nigeria money that was stolen by
former dictator Sani Abacha and stashed in his Swiss bank accounts. Good
news: Swiss banking secrecy laws trumped by ethics and common sense. Bad
news: the World Bank has appointed itself the custodian of the funds to
make sure that Nigeria spends it “wisely”. We know what that means....
•	A leaked internal review by the IFC blasts the loan for the Glamis Gold
mining project in Guatemala, and says the money should never have been
loaned, because a number of criteria having to do with prior consultation
with affected people, indigenous peoples’ rights, and environmental
protection were being violated. The question was raised in World Bank-NGO
“consultations” at the recently concluded meetings, and Bank officials
tried to downplay the report, as expected...

B. Follow-up items:

1. Thank-you cards:

•	Basav has sent a list of people to thank to the mgj-outreach
listserve....please respond to him with additions by Wednesday noon at the
latest.
•	Thank-you cards will be made at our meeting next week.
•	Matt and Basav to bring construction paper, Hope to bring wrapping paper
(for decoration) and glue, Basav to bring scissors.

2. Bullhorn retrieval: Catherine to follow up with Nadine and Guerrilla
Poetry Insurgency.

3. Apartheid reparations picket: was awesome, we’ll hear reportback next
week!

C. Debrief brainstorm

We did Part 1 of a 2-part brainstorm on what went right vs. what could be
changed with regard to the mobilization. Our evaluation headings were:
•	General.
•	Street theater.
•	Teach-in.
•	Feeder march and rally.
•	Spokescouncils.
•	Direct action.
•	Tabling at P&J festival.
•	Convergence space.

Under the “what could be changed” category, we made a distinction between
things that had to do with our own organizing process, and things that had
to do with dysfunctional behavior on the part of other organizations.

The brainstorm notes will be sent out when complete, i.e. after the next
meeting. We’ll have the charts for reference so we know what we’ve already
brought up.

D. Next meeting:
Wednesday 10/5, 7 pm, St. Stephen’s church.
Peter and Keith facilitate.

Note: we did not cover reportbacks from mobilization at this meeting. We
hope to do it at the next meeting. We felt that it was important to do
because not everyone was at every event in the mobilization.

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