Outcome of the Convention of the Nonviolent Radical Party

Outcome of the Convention of the Nonviolent Radical Party

Three days of debates and insights, twenty nationalities and forty new members of the Nonviolent Radical Party Transnational and Transparty. This is the outcome of the Radical Convention held in Rome from 27 to 29 October, in the historic hall of Via di Torre Argentina 76, renewed for the occasion with the display of a new backdrop covering the entire wall of the presidency in honor of Marco Pannella’s history and fights. The Radical Leader is portrayed in some key moments: in a rally, during a thirst strike, wearinig a Croatian army uniform, hugging his dear friend the Dalai Lama.

The discussion was opened with the speeches of the deputy director of Ansa Stefano Polli, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies Fabrizio Cicchitto and former president of the main opposition party in Cambodia Sam Rainsy. The emphasis was on the urgency of working for a global transition towards the Rule of Law through the universal respect for human rights and the recognition of human Right to Know by the United Nations.

The participation, in the opening session, of the Cambodian leader has taken on a particular value for two fundamental reasons. The first is the direct dialogue with President Cicchitto, who who has become aware of the issue of Rule of Law raised by the Cambodian leader, for the implications of the dangerous role and growing influence that China is having in the Asian region and around the world. The second is the action launched by Cambodian leaders and supporters of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) to save the Radical Party. The determination of the new Cambodian members, to make of the Radical Party an instrument of fight, is witnessed by the presence of Mu Sochua, vice president of the CNRP, forced to flee her country in a hurry on October 3, 2017, to avoid an impending politically motivated arrest. Equally meaningful was the meeting of Cambodian members at the Radical Party headquarters in the afternoon of October 28th.

In addition to our Cambodian friends, other political representatives and activists have intervened, from countries such as Ethiopia, Iran, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Mozambique, China, United States, United Kingdom, France etc. representatives of minorities and underrepresented people who drive UNPO’s actions, that’s been working together with the Radical Party for years.

“We have to keep going, as the Dalai lama says, along the way of the Rule of Law and the individual freedom. This is the very meaning of our 3-day meeting”. With these words Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata opened the Convention to save with nonviolence the fights over the universality of human rights, for the Right to Know, for the United States of Europe, to fight hunger, thirst, war and poverty in the world.

“Thanks to this transnational and transparty vocation and to the patrimony of values focused on human dignity and freedom, a great irreplaceable contribution to the fight, to consolidate and expand the dimension of legality, justice and responsibility” explained Terzi.

“We come from very different places and countries, but we are united by the same resolve to defend our values. A community glued together by its values” said Sam Rainsy. This has been the spirit that draw this three days, aimed at the dialogue, and the creation of a common action.

Saumura Tioulongmember of the cambodian National Assembly and Rainsy’s wife, added: “Cambodia doesn’t interest anyone. We are a small country with no geopolitical role. Luckily we had Marco Pannella and the Radical Party. I will not remember all that we have done with him since 2002 because it has already been mentioned. What matters to me are the problems related to too much or too few right to know”.

As Norman Baker, former Under-Secretary for Home Affairs of the United Kingdom, also pointed out, “today, we have examples of powerful but ineffective countries on the Rule of Law and Human Rights (…) but the Rule of Law, even when it exists, is ineffective if it is not accompanied by the Right to Know”, to whom echoed French Senator République En Marche André Gattolin: “We are moving towards a society in which knowledge will have more and more widespread forms but increasingly degraded and vulgar, it will be instant, unlimited, it will be so multifaceted that the human brain will fail to assimilate it, and above all it will be planetary, everyone will be able to know, have elements of what is happening on the other side of the world, will pose problems of awareness or refusal of awareness of inequality. The Radical Party is important as a transnational non-governmental organization.”

Another aspect related to the spread of the right to information – said Najima Thay Thay Rhozali, former Secretary of State for non-formal education in Morocco – is linked to poverty and lack of education that we call illiteracy, it is unthinkable that someone who does not know how to read or write can claim to be informed and ask to participate in development programs. As for illiteracy – continues Rhozali – 757 millions of adults in the world do not know how to read and write, 493 millions are women, 115 millions are young people between the ages of 15 and 24, of which 76 million are women. This means that 2 illiterates out of 3 are women. I believe that this is a catastrophic situation, the right to know, to knowledge, to information, which are inalienable rights of the human being, are the foundations of a good governance, necessary to global development. In fact the freedom of expression and the obtaining of information are indispensable to fight against poverty”.

Deep and rich in reflection has been the intervention of former Prime Minister of Algeria Sid Ahmed Ghozali, convinced of the urgency of a job of promotion and affirmation of the Rule of Law and that stated to “adhere 100% because I consider this DNA, this identity is the only way if we want to conquer a happier, more just and  peaceful world, the Rule of Law, the non violence. That is why I took the membership and I am proud to be a militant of the Radical Party.”

Hassan Abouyoub, Ambassador of Morocco in Italy, addressing the issue of immigration as a central problem in Europe, spoke of “(…) a natural right, to movement, for centuries a consecrated right, which is treated under the threat and pressure of populism until it reaches its non-government. Schengen has not reduced the flows, but has created alternative mechanisms of opposing these candidates to freedom, migrants, who found solutions outside the law, using methods that are not those of the Rule of Law (…) In 1950, the active European population was about 120 million, in 2050 this figure will rise to 1 billion and 220 million (…) so there is a Europe that in 10-20 years will have difficulty managing its space, its territory daily” “The history of immigration – he continued – has always created a diaspora, the mistake was also on our side to think that these migrants would return to our country, and there is another much more complicated reality that was born. We never thought that the demographic decline was not just a european privilege. Today, the fertility rate in Morocco is the same as in Italy.this means that in North Africa, unfortunately, in the next 25 years the population will be aging, with a standard of living 9 times lower than in Europe, so there will be an old and poor population, concentrated on the shore,80-85% of the population will live by the sea. (…) When we take into account the situation in Africa and the Middle East, the overwhelming majority of these migratory flows are due to political instability and human insecurity, meaning insecurity within a State that is no longer a State.”

Analyzing the reasons for this dangerous instability “The responsibility of the UN Security Council member countries with veto, on hunger and the flow of refugees, is 100%. (…) Law and the Rule of Law are the alpha and omega of any initiative. (…) what I like about Europe is its power and ability to democratically transfer sovereignty to a European executive, this is an incredible act of trust (…) there is this democratic prerequisite for authorizing a legitimate transfer, but this in our region is not yet possible because the Rule of Law is not guaranteed, the sacred rule of the Rule of Law is missing”.

A crucial element emerged: the will to join forces, the determination to face the challenge of the claim of the Rule of Law together, through the transnational and transparty instrument that is the Radical Party. As we know, the main goals of this year are the achievement of 3000 members by December 31, 2017.

In conclusion, we cannot but go back to Sam Rainsy and his precious appeal: “Sometimes the brothers of the same family Sometimes the brothers of the same family, but within the Radical Party it feels like in a big family (…) We are a great radical family that shares the same values, the same principles and this is our happiness, our pride. (…) I would like to take this opportunity to launch an appeal to join the Radical Party in order to strengthen this force, this unique organization. A transnational party that transcends all boundaries. My ambition is to make the Radical Party a world party (…) but we must organize ourselves to have this force that must be world-wide, because our fight is world-wide, so we can not rely only on Italians, the organization can not only be based in Rome, it is necessary that the next Congress takes place in other countries where there are people sharing the same values, so that the Radical Party can spread. I count not on the three thousand members, but on three  hundred thousand members in the near future.”

Matteo Angioli
Irene Guidarelli

Watch the Convention at the following pages in English and French on the website of Radio Radicale.

Day 1 – October 27th
English version
Version française

Day 2 – October 28th
English version – morning
English version – afternoon
Version française – matin
Version française – après-midi

Day 3 – October 29th 
English version
Version française

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