Martin Khor: Indefatigable fighter for justice, equity for Global South Chakravarthi Raghavan

Martin Khor Kok Peng (1951-2020), an indefatigable fighter for justice and equity for the Global South, close associate and comrade-in-arms for over three decades, passed away peacefully, after a five-year-long fight against cancer, in the early hours of 1 April 2020 in his home in Penang, Malaysia, with wife Meenakshi Raman by his side.

Martin leaves behind a rich legacy of successful battles and several ongoing ones to be continued by colleagues and associates at the Third World Network and global civil society and the trade and justice movement. However, it is a huge void that will be difficult to fill.

It is never easy to write about such a close friend and associate, and it is even more difficult about one in the younger generation. We do so, as other associates and friends, some from early on with Martin in these struggles, in this special issue of SUNS, paying homage to his memory and achievements, determined to carry on with the struggles ahead inspired by his example. (In doing so, while sharing them we will strive to avoid areas of his work and life, dealt with in detail by other associates in this issue of SUNS.)

Born on 9 November 1951, a Malaysian national, Martin qualified himself in Economics at Cambridge, and in Social Services (Economics) at University of Science Malaysia.

He began his career as Administrative Officer, Ministry of Finance, Singapore (1974-1975), but then moved back to Penang, Malaysia to function as Research Director, Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), Malaysia, and Director, Third World Network (1990 to February 2009). He functioned as Editor, South-North Development Monitor – SUNS (2005-2008), Managing Editor, Third World Resurgence (monthly magazine of the Third World Network), Editor, Third World Economics (fortnightly economics magazine of the Third World Network). He was Executive Director of the South Centre (March 2009 to June 2018), and Advisor, Third World Network (July 2018 till his passing on).

He leaves behind, wife Meenakshi Raman (an activist and fighter for justice in her own right), daughter Rebecca (by his previous marriage to Evelyne Hong), 2 grand-children, four brothers and a sister, other relatives and friends. We offer our heartfelt condolences to them all, sharing their grievous loss.

I first came to know of, and then in contact with Martin, in 1987. I was then a Communicator at the International Foundation for Development Alternatives (IFDA), at Nyon (Switzerland), but assigned to work in Geneva, covering activities and negotiations at the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and various UN Specialised agencies in Geneva, and write news stories and analysis for the IFDA collaborator, Inter Press Service, and for IFDA’s daily newsletter SUNS (then known as Special United Nations Service).

From a phone call from Marc Nerfin, President of IFDA, I learnt that Martin was in Nyon, of the internal police crackdown and arrests of staff of CSOs in Malaysia, and that he had been advised not to return home, lest he too got caught up in the police crackdown. Marc thought Martin could come down to Geneva, meet and talk to me, so that I could write a story in IPS and SUNS. At the time the conversation took place, I was in my office at the Palais des Nations with two Group of 77 regional coordinators, and due to go with them a little later to meet and interview the Malaysian ambassador to UNOG and G77 coordinator, and write a story in IPS and SUNS on important on-going negotiations at UNCTAD. The G77 friends, overhearing the conversation, advised me quickly that there was a better chance to get Malaysia to reverse course, by indirect pressure than by media publicity.

Malaysia, hitherto seen as just a member of ASEAN, the sub-regional trading bloc, led by Singapore, negotiating tariff and trade concessions, was eyeing for itself a more prominent role as Third World leader with strong anti-imperialist credentials at some forthcoming UN special conferences. Rather than wait to meet and learn details from Martin, I got all the facts quickly via telex, and took it up when I met the Malaysian envoy. To cut a long back-and-forth story short, we managed to help ensure there would be no action against Martin, and he could safely return and continue to work at CAP and TWN.

In 1988 and early 1989, Martin and his presence and views were very much in demand by CSOs considering environment, development and other global issues. As he cris-crossed the world, his preferred long-distance carrier (KLM Airlines), involved change of planes etc in Amsterdam, enabling him to easily take side-trips. He would thus come to Geneva to meet contacts in UN organisations. And invariably, he would come home with me, for a home-cooked meal provided by my late wife, Kalyani, whom I would tease for treating Martin like the son she never had! Martin and I would sit and exchange views and thoughts for an hour or two. Soon, as set out below, on Martin and TWN becoming “publishers” of SUNS, our close links and constant exchange of ideas increased greatly.

By early 1989, the Thatcher-Reagan counter-revolution, and its ideology of neo-liberalism, of the “state giving way to the market,” had swept across Europe; governments and their cooperation ministries, funding and supporting institutions and CSOs, with alternative ideas, were now actively discouraged, and those receiving funds, pressured to promote only neo-liberalism and not alternate or contrary views. As a result, IFDA, set up (after Stockholm I) with funding and encouragement from like-minded governments in the North, found itself in a dilemma: change its views or no funds. Marc Nerfin and IFDA decided they would rather wind-up than change their views. At that time, knowing its high utility to developing countries, IFDA tried to find alternative means to continue SUNS, but failed in its efforts to persuade the South Commission to take over the responsibility. There was some internal reluctance among its staff; even more Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Secretary-General of the Commission, thought this would be at best a temporary arrangement, since the Commission would be winding up in a year, and there were differences over whether there would be a permanent institution to continue the work of the Commission. Dr. Singh, ultimately felt I should take over SUNS, and continue to publish it as a separate enterprise. This bristled with some legal difficulties, and it was ultimately decided to continue SUNS as a publication by some enterprise or institution in the South, with financial and other support from the Commission, and others if needed afterwards. In this situation, it was decided to have Martin Khor and the TWN as the publisher, for SUNS to function on a non-commercial basis, with users meeting the costs, according to capacity to pay, and an Advisory Board of Ambassadors of key subscribing developing-country missions in Geneva. Martin was just advised of TWN becoming the publisher, and he readily agreed, without at that time knowing how it would work out. But it did, and the SUNS continues to come out and function.

The South Commission, with former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere as Chairman and India’s Manmohan Singh as Secretary-General, had been constituted in 1987, and was considering a gamut of issues behind the development problematique, besides Global, South-North and South-South issues and cooperation. I was in my small way providing them with inputs and information in areas of their remit. I had gone to Kuala Lumpur for the second, and inaugural public session of the Commission in early 1988, and met Martin on the sidelines.

Before returning to Geneva, I went to Penang where I spent a few days with S.M Mohd. Idris (TWN Chairman and CAP President), Martin Khor, Rajamoorthy and other associates, discussing and exchanging views in a tour de horizon, and laying the groundwork for SUNS-TWN cooperation and collaboration in the common fight. Martin and I quickly established mutual rapport and understanding on working together, I on the news front digging out, among others, information on the secretive trade negotiations and publishing them in SUNS; and Martin using all this and other information in alerting and mobilising civil society across the world, as well as persuading developing country governments to concert and act with some unity to defend their interests against the predatory attacks on their autonomous development.

In parallel with SUNS work, I was also contributing some papers for the South Commission on on-going trade negotiations (Improving the Capacity of the South, The Mid-term Review of the Uruguay Round, and The South in the Uruguay Round). I informally shared them with Martin, and at his suggestion turned them into publications, after the Commission made its Report.

Martin was an ecologist and environmentalist, at a time when these terms were not common or fashionable. Thus, he was at the forefront in these global movements and UN-sponsored events to attempt to deal with them. Martin’s presence and influence were felt, from the outset at such events. I will just mention one.

When the UN decided in 1988-89 to convene the UN Conference on Environment and Development (the original idea of the powers that be was of just convening a Stockholm II, but that did not fly, giving way to a conference on environment and development), it set up a preparatory committee. Maurice Strong, who organised and ran Stockholm I, was named Secretary-General of the planned UN Conference, tasked with organising and running the event to a successful conclusion (that he did at Rio de Janeiro in 1992). Along with, or as part of it, there were two other treaty negotiations, one on climate and the other on bio-diversity. Strong reached out not only to governments, but also to civil society (going beyond those with formal consultative status with the UN). This effort, while intended or not, seemed to result in big business (sailing as civil society) registering to participate and contribute, thus seeking an inside track to the ensuing negotiations and possible outcomes!

The Preparatory Committee (Prepcom) held its first organisational meeting at New York, with members of the UN and specialised agencies constituting the Committee, and named Amb. Tommy Koh of Singapore as Chair. The second meeting was held in Geneva. Before the meeting, several CSOs met to exchange ideas on participation and coordination. They suddenly realized the absence among them of an organisation from the South. Someone contacted Martin at Penang, discussed wider Southern participation and need for some fundraising to facilitate this. The TWN was asked to immediately find a way for someone to register on its behalf, be at the Geneva Prepcom to show the flag and make some initial remarks. In those days, with no internet or emails, communication was not only costly but time-consuming. As a result, Martin had a message conveyed to me (that I got during the opening of the 2nd preparatory session) to represent TWN. I did, without any further advice from Penang (beyond a general idea of TWN approach to development issues); and much later in the day managed to make a brief intervention at the Prepcom, promising substantial TWN inputs from the next preparatory meeting.

By the time I intervened, sitting in the Prepcom session, I had been hearing, apart from Strong, a large number of participants, from northern governments and private personalities, speak and commend Mahatma Gandhi and his austere style of living, seemingly commending it to the South. As one who had grown up under Gandhi, during the independence struggle in colonial India, and having spent some days in camp with him, I began to feel irritated to hear the same refrain again and again.

In my intervention, making clear it was some personal views of mine, I noted and thanked earlier speakers for their references to and praise of Gandhi, but wondered how many who had commended Gandhi’s style of living, practised it in their own lives. I added: “I have known Gandhi in real life in India. I only wish to commend those who had spoken about Gandhi the fact that, in real life Gandhi practised what he preached, and preached only what he practised!” Third World delegations and the northern CSO coalitions joined in applause to the discomfiture of some in the North!

Later I mailed a copy of my remarks to Martin with my apology, but he came back that this was also the TWN view, and that they will expand on and present it at future meetings.

From the beginning in all his activities, inside Malaysia and globally with civil society, Martin was steadfast in adopting Gandhi’s path of non-violent, peaceful resistance against injustice and fight for equity and social justice. Non-violence was an article of faith for Mahatma Gandhi. None of us have the faith and courage to be Gandhis. However for all of us, as Martin saw, as against the vast array of oppressive and coercive instruments that any modern State commands, non-violent and peaceful resistance was the only viable path. In mobilising global civil society, Martin managed to impress this on them, with governments and their institutions facing this reality, unable to easily suppress and eliminate it, and fumbling to evolve policies to deal with it.

With an ever smiling, cheerful face, always willing to sit across the table and listen patiently and with respect arguments of opponents, weigh these arguments, before countering with humour, and sarcasm sometimes, Martin stood by his basic beliefs and determination, fighting for justice and equity for the marginal and oppressed in every country and society. He stood and steadfastly fought for justice, and equity: for the Global South against the North (including for the “south” in the “north”, and against the “north” in the “south”). This is a continuing fight, and all of us, his close associates, colleagues, and friends across the globe, will sorely miss his absence in coming days – a void impossible to fill, but one that collectively all of us have to pursue.

Martin, you are no more, but you are with us always, ever green in our thoughts and inspiring us. Rest in peace.

(Chakravarthi Raghavan is Editor-Emeritus of the SUNS, and earlier, its Chief Editor from 1980-2005.)