Beyond Tariffs: People’s Livelihoods Must Be Central To Any Trade Negotiations
From Nor Baizura Basri
SAN FRANCISCO, June 5 (Bernama) -- It was a cold morning in San Francisco, and my stomach was growling for food. As I munched on the snacks available in my hotel room, the day had started early with the sun shining brightly before 6 am.
It was not a usual morning as I woke up as early as 3 am due to jet lag. It was 6 pm in Malaysia. My hotel, located next to the Moscone Centre and a university, is supposed to be a busy area normally.
But it was a Sunday morning and understandably, far quieter.
The Snowflake Summit, hosted by the cloud-based data company and for which I am scheduled to attend and cover, only started on Monday (Tuesday in Malaysia).
Looking for halal restaurants, I entered Sixth Street, not knowing it was considered dangerous to wander there at that time of the morning, especially for a woman alone.
To my utter shock and dismay, and contrary to the rich capitalist image of America, the street was full of homeless people. Many were living in make-shift tents, quite a number seemingly high on weed (cannabis). They wandered aimlessly, and some of them started to notice me.
I became nervous. As my panic attack gradually got the better of me, my instinct was to get out of the area as quickly as I could.
As I returned to my room, I turned to Google to get some rational answers to what I had just seen - the dire despair and homelessness in a nation with the world’s largest economy.
On any given day, the scenes on Sixth Street point to what seems to be the city’s perpetual challenge with drug abuse and mental health problems - all of which were out in open display. San Francisco authorities are reportedly taking steps to tackle what seems to be insurmountable issues. I reckon that the problems will be beyond any administration’s means to resolve.
Recalling the scenes that Sunday morning not only sends shivers down my spine, but also a sense of depression amid the misery the homeless face. For the record, San Francisco has 8,323 homeless individuals in total as of Jan 30, 2024, and some 200 are believed to be living on that street.
On Sixth Street, it is common to see lines of homeless people just sitting around outside in temperatures of 13-15 degrees Celsius.
Not far from there is a thriving business district and the Moscone Centre, where the Snowflakes Summit is taking place, which brings together participants from all over the world to brainstorm the latest AI developments. It’s a paradox to see San Francisco, home of the Silicon Valley and located in the famous Bay Area, facing this situation.
For such a developed and modern city, the utter homelessness, wanton drug abuse and helpless individuals grappling with mental issues do not make sense at all.
It is a harsh reality that Americans need to consider, and decision makers and the powers that be must instil policies and implement programmes to help all strata of society to prevent a housing crisis which is closely tied to a gamut of issues, including rising population, economic hardships and a lack of resources.
This brings into question the current tariff talks between the United States and some 168 countries and what they really represent. Global citizens must ask whether the outcome of these trade negotiations, and for that matter, any trade talks, actually takes into account the realities on the ground.
Are these talks by governments helping to alleviate the suffering of the homeless or seeking to improve the livelihoods of people, especially those marginalised?
The reality is that it is not just happening in San Francisco and the United States, but it is a global phenomenon.
Looking at Malaysia, people are still grappling with the higher cost of living, for which various programmes have been implemented to address the issue and improve people’s livelihoods.
Addressing the people’s housing needs should be a major objective of government projects.
Similarly, in other countries, prices of goods are also rising and may escalate due to the debilitating tariffs, which can adversely affect national economies and worsen the situation on the ground.
For example, in Argentina, the inflation rate is at a staggering 237 per cent, while in South Sudan it is at 107 per cent.
The worst case scenario arising from what is surely uncontrolled price escalations could be economic instability and disruption of supply chains, driving prices of essential goods and services to exorbitant levels.
Ultimately, development programmes, policies, and trade talks must benefit people in need.
If the trade talks fail and the 168 countries are slapped with sweeping tariffs, it would be a disaster in the making. Life would be made even more unbearable not only on Sixth Street but the world over.
The African proverb that when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers is apt to describe what's going on in the global arena.
In trade disputes and conflicts between the economic superpowers, it is the weak or small countries which suffer. Are we so weak as to allow such a predicament to befall us?
-- BERNAMA