Say sorry or resign, trade unions tell defiant Howells
March 21, 2008 12:00 am frontpage, newsby René Lavanchy
PRESSURE mounted on Foreign Office minister Kim Howells to apologise or resign this week, as trade unions, campaigners and MPs distanced themselves from his comments on a union-backed pressure group.
Mr Howells came under fire last week over his appearance in a photo with Colombian soldiers, including General Mario Montoya (pictured on this week’s Tribune front cover, left) accused of drug-running and murdering trade unionists.
But he responded defiantly, saying that there was no harm in the photo, and said: “This has all been created by the organisation Justice for Colombia, which supports FARC, a band of gangsters and drug smugglers.”
But JFC – which campaigns for human rights and workers’ rights, and is supported by more than half of Labour MPs – dismisses the allegation that they are linked to the Marxist rebel army, while some unions have called on Gordon Brown to sack Mr Howells if does not apologise.
Jeremy Dear, JFC chair and general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: “His comments are an outrageous slur on Justice for Colombia, which has consistently condemned all violence and which has as president and vice-president the general secretary and deputy general secretary of the TUC [Brendan Barber and Frances O’Grady].
“[They’re] the kind of comments that are made by the Colombian government in order to discredit those who expose their abuses of human rights… It ill behoves a UK minister to use such tactics.”
Unions also expressed fear over the effects of linking JFC, which helps with several development projects in Colombia, with the FARC.
Mr Dear said: “It puts at risk all those involved in projects: women’s projects, projects for freedom of expression… Everyone involved is a risk.”
Community, which stopped short of joining demands for Mr Howells to be sacked, said it put project workers in “severe danger”.
Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite, agreed: “When senior politicians in Colombia make such comments, assassinations and threats against trade unionists and human rights activists increase and for those reasons we are astonished that a UK Minister would make such dangerous and unfounded comments.
“Kim Howells… clearly has little understanding of the situation in Colombia and we call on him to immediately and publicly withdraw his comments. Should he not do so, we call on the Prime Minster to remove him from office.”
Keith Norman, general secretary of ASLEF, also urged Mr Howells to withdraw his comments or resign in a letter to Foreign Secretary David Miliband this week.
The Foreign Office has long insisted that it is doing its best to improve human rights in Colombia, where dozens of trade unionists are murdered every year and the government is accused of allowing both its own troops and right-wing paramilitaries to carry out killings.
Earlier this year, Mr Miliband defended the £335,000 a year in British aid given to the Colombian army as being meant to “reform” them, and said: “I believe the [Colombian] government is trying to improve the human rights situation, not exacerbate it.”
Mr Howells appeared to maintain the same line at the weekend when he defended his appearance in a photo with General Montoya: “I read the Riot Act to these people, saying that human rights were important above everything.”
But Mr Dear commented: “All Government ministers will have to have serious frank discussions with people they don’t agree with; it doesn’t mean that you pose laughing in photos with those people, or the very battalions that are implicated in those human rights abuses.”
As Tribune went to press, Mr Howells’ comments were due to be raised with Gordon Brown at a meeting of Labour’s National Executive Committee on Thursday this week.
Tony Lloyd, chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party and a vice-president of JFC, said: “JFC has campaigned against violence from all quarters in Colombia. Most recently JFC hosted a reception for families of those kidnapped by the FARC.
It simply is not the behaviour of a front for a guerilla organisation”.
“[It] doesn’t side with any of the authors of violence in Colombian society and will continue to be critical of atrocities from all quarters.” He declined to comment on Mr Howells’ behaviour.
Writing a response to critics in the Western Mail this week, Mr Howells did not retract his comments, but insisted he would do nothing to put “brave” Colombian trade unionists at risk.
Bill Kerr :
Date: March 21, 2008 @ 8:55 am
I would doubt most of the labor MPs who support JFC have any real clue about Colombia and the problems it has with FARC and others. I saw a clip of the last union conference where a motion was raised against the gov of colombia. Perhaps these union members and MPs ought to chat to the people of colombia and gauge their support of the gov and Uribe, they will find overwelming support for actions taken against FARC and for moving the country out of the third world.
John Smith :
Date: March 21, 2008 @ 4:16 pm
Bill Kerr patonisingly says that the Uribe regime is moving Colombia out of the “third world”. I’d like to know what he makes of this:
http://lanr.blogspot.com/2008/03/see-you-in-hague.html#comments
Bill Kerr :
Date: March 22, 2008 @ 12:34 am
Well I had a peek at the JFC website and that along with lanr do seem rather farc leaning. In JFC’s explanation of the activities of farc they seemed to forget to mention the large number of kidnap victims undertaken by that terrorist org. Anyway, farc are a spent force. The killing of Raul Reyes in Ecuador and infighting that killed Ivan Rios should help to see their end. Meanwhile Chavez and Correo are made to look fools at the rio summit. Folks are right to question some of the actions of the army but this wholesale condemnation of columbia and its leaders is wrong and will get no where. Uribe currently runs an approval rating of 82%, a number I am guessing Brown wouldn’t mind too much.
Claridad :
Date: March 22, 2008 @ 8:16 pm
Can this month’s (March) Gallup poll, about the ‘82% popularity’ of President Uribe’s Colombian government, consisting of 1000 phone calls in the 4 major cities of Colombia (dominated by the narco-paramilitary mafia interests) really indicate ‘popularity’ in a country of 42 million?
I wonder if the 4 million displaced peoples (most likely without access to phones and internet) - not to speak of the thousands of peasants, social activists, trade unionists, teachers and their families tortured and murdered over the last 10 years by paramilitaries in collusion with the state - would agree with this ‘popularity’?
In a country where mistrust and fear because threats and assassinations are common place, does a phone poll really mean anything?
The majority of the mainstream media repeats these misleading figures without regards for the context of the situation in Colombia.
Claridad :
Date: March 22, 2008 @ 8:27 pm
Let me also add that Mr Uribe’s “62% electoral win” in 2006 consisted of 7.3 million votes out a possible 26.7 million voters. More than 1/2 the electorate abstained. This means that he has the support of only 1/4 of the lectorate or only 1/16 of the total population. Whatever the FARC support - Uribe’s administration is intolerant of ANY opposition even legally constituted. Anyone opposing his policies is immediately branded a “FARC/terrorist” supporter - this includes human rights organisations, trade unions, rural workers organisations and also international reputable NGOs! Please lets not talk about a functioning democracy when even the judiciary is under threat!
Bill Kerr :
Date: March 23, 2008 @ 12:06 am
quite frankly I am more prepared to look at main stream news feeds such as wall steet journal,AP and others than believe half of what I read in these sites that claim to have the interest of the people of colombia at heart.
I was in bogota the other week and I didn’t hear people moan about Uribe when his speach at the rio sumit was broadcast on the radio. What I saw was folks in bogota get behind their leader in his condemnation of the interference of some of the leftist governments in the region.
I have to say that I didn’t notice the streets dominated by “narco-mafia interests so I’ll take the comments about the galup poll with a pinch of salt.
The UN in 2006 reported some 3 mil displaced so not sure where the figure of 4 mil came from. They also cite that the gov of uribe is doing what it can to help the situation for these people. Perhaps we should wait to the next periodic report by UN some time in 2008 to see if there is further inprovement or not.
Meanwhile i remain confident in my belief that colombia is pulling itself out of its problems and is well on the road to recovery despite the protest of some unions and mps in the uk to the contary.
Claridad :
Date: March 23, 2008 @ 12:41 am
It is well-known to us in the academic community that both government and independent entities acknowledge that as many as 40 percent of the country’s displaced persons are not in the official registry
see for example: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41390
I am glad you seem so positive about Colombia’s future - wish it were so. I am afraid the truth is quite different - as you can discover if you care to read more widely.
If nothing else it appears that Uribe’s propaganda machine is functioning very well.
Bill Kerr :
Date: March 23, 2008 @ 11:54 am
Let’s agree to disagree then. I remain positive, we can check back in a year or two to see where we are both at in our opinions. My wife who is Colombian (I am British) also feels the same way as do her family who live in various parts of the country.
Claridad :
Date: March 23, 2008 @ 5:50 pm
Colombian people do not have the luxury to sit back and wait for things to improve. Further I should qualify what I have said: I do not feel positive about the present administration in Colombia but I do feel positive about Colombia’s future despite Uribe’s government…the truth of the extent of corruption and violence under parapolitics is already being revealed for everyone to see…
Matthew Stiles :
Date: March 25, 2008 @ 9:08 am
Tribune should be congratulated for highlighting this. Kim’s comments are an absolute disgrace. When trade unionists are murdered in Colombia, the common smear tactic used is that they were part of the guerrilla. Now, the right-wing there will be able to cite a British Labour minister in support.
Idkal » Blog Archive » In defence of Kim Howells :
Date: March 31, 2008 @ 2:35 pm
[…] political allies on other issues), but I think Kim Howells should be applauded for standing up to Tribune et al over […]