Ukudityaniswa Kwehlabathi—Iingenelo Neengxaki

“Ukudityaniswa kwezoqoqosho yeyona nto ibangel’ umdla ikhe yenzeka kweli xesha lethu. . . . Kuvulele amawaka ezigidi zabantu amathuba okungenelwa ehlabathini lonke.”—UMARTIN WOLF, UMHLELI WEENDABA ZEZOQOQOSHO.

“Thina, bantu balapha eMhlabeni, siyintsapho enkulu. Eli xesha leenguqu lize neengxaki ezichaphazela ihlabathi lonke, njengokonakaliswa kwemeko-bume, ukugqitywa kobuncwane bomhlaba, iimfazwe ezizaliswe luphalazo-gazi nobuhlwempu.”—UEDUARD SHEVARDNADZE, UMONGAMELI WASEGEORGIA.

NGODISEMBA 1999, intlanganiso yeWorld Trade Organization eyayiqhutyelwa eSeattle, eUnited States, yaphazanyiswa ngabaqhankqalazi. Ngelokuchithachitha eso siphithiphithi, amapolisa asebenzise izintywizisi, iimbumbulu zerabha nezitshizi ezinepepile. Ekugqibeleni, kwabanjwa amakhulu kwabo baqhankqalazi.

Yintoni eyabangela eso siphithiphithi eSeattle? Yinkxalabo abantu ababenayo ngokuphulukana nemisebenzi, ukonakaliswa kwemeko-bume nokungabikho kokusesikweni phakathi kwebutho labantu. Noko ke, sinokuthi nje abo bagwayimbi babesoyika ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi—indlela okubachaphazela ngayo abantu nesijikelezi-langa.

Nangoku abantu abakayeki ukoyika. Ukususela ngowe-1999, abantu abachase ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi baye banda yaye basebenzisa iindlela eziqatha ukuvakalisa ukunganeliseki kwabo. Ngamanye amaxesha, iinkokeli zehlabathi ziqhuba iintlanganiso zazo kwiindawo ezingenakufikelelwa ngabagwayimbi baze baphazamise.

Noko ke, asinguye wonk’ ubani ovakalelwa kukuba ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi kuyingxaki. Ngoxa bambi bekugxeka besithi kungunobangela weengxaki zehlabathi, abanye bayakuvuyela yaye bakugqala njengesicombululo seengxaki ezininzi zehlabathi. Liyinyaniso elokuba oku kuphikisana kusenokubonakala kungabachaphazeli abantu abaninzi, uninzi lwabo olungakuqondi nokukuqonda ukuba kukuthini ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi. Kodwa nokuba kuyintoni na, ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi kuyakuchaphazela ngoku, yaye kuza kukuchaphazela nangakumbi kwixesha elizayo.

Yintoni Kanye Kanye Ukudityaniswa Kwehlabathi?

Ibinzana elithi “ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi” lisetyenziswa ukuchaza ukwanda kwentsebenziswano phakathi kwabantu namazwe ngamazwe ehlabathini lonke. Le nkqubo iye yanda ngomlinganiselo ophakamileyo malunga neshumi leminyaka edluleyo, ngenxa yenkqubela ekhoyo kwezobugcisa. (Bona ibhokisi ekwiphepha 21.) Noko ngoku idambile iMfazwe Yomlomo, imithetho elawula ukungeniswa kwempahla evela kumazwe asemzini ayisekho ngqongqo, amashishini aphambili ehlabathini ayasebenzisana kanti kulula ngoku ukundwendwela kwamanye amazwe neendleko zokuhamba zihlile.

Oku kwanda kwentsebenziswano kuye kwanemiphumo eyahlukahlukeneyo—kwezoqoqosho, kwezobupolitika, kwezentlalo nakwimeko-bume. Okubuhlungu kukuba, eminye yale miphumo inokuba mibi. IHuman Development Report 1999 yeUnited Nations yathi: “Abantu basondelelene ngakumbi ehlabathini lonke kunanini na ngaphambili. Oku kuye kwazisa ingenelo nelahleko kwangaxeshanye.” Njengazo zonke izinto eziphunyezwe ngabantu, ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi kunemiphumo emihle nemibi.

Ithemba Lehlabathi Elinenkqubela

UAmartya Sen, owafumana iMbasa kaNobel kwezoqoqosho, uthi ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi “kuye kwaluncedo ehlabathini, kwezenzululwazi nakwezentlalo yaye abantu abaninzi baye bangenelwa nakwezoqoqosho.” Nayo iHuman Development Report 1999, ibonisa ukuba ngenxa yokudityaniswa kwehlabathi “kuye kwakho ithemba lokuba ubuhlwempu bunokuphela kule nkulungwane yama-21.” Isizathu sokuba kubekho eli themba yinkqubela ebangelwe kukudityaniswa kwehlabathi. Namhlanje, intsapho eqhelekileyo ehlabathini ifumana umvuzo ophindwe izihlandlo ezithathu kunomvuzo eyayiwufumana kwiminyaka engama-50 eyadlulayo.a

Abanye abahlalutyi bathi kukho enye ingenelo ekudityanisweni kwezoqoqosho: Bavakalelwa kukuba oku kuya kubangela ukuba amazwe abe mathidala ukulwa. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Lexus and the Olive Tree, uThomas L. Friedman uthi ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi “kubangela ukuba abantu babe nezizathu ezininzi zokungalwi, yaye kwandisa iindleko zemfazwe kunalo naliphi na ixesha kwimbali yoluntu.”

Okukhona abantu bemanyana, nehlabathi linokuba yimbumba yamanyama. Ngelokufeza iinjongo zayo, eminye imibutho elwela amalungelo abantu iye yayisebenzisa ngokuzeleyo i-Internet. Ngokomzekelo, xa kwakusenziwa isivumelwano samazwe ngamazwe sowe-1997 sokupheliswa kwezigcayiseli, kwasetyenziswa ubugcisa be-elektroniki ukunxibelelana nabantu ababekuchasile ukusetyenziswa kwezigcayiseli ehlabathini lonke. Yabonakala intle le nto yokubandakanywa kwabantu abaqhelekileyo “xa kuthethathethwana ngamazwe ngamazwe yaye yagqalwa njengendlela efanele isetyenziswe ngoorhulumente nabantu abaqhelekileyo xa belungisa iingxaki ezithwaxa ihlabathi lonke.”

Nangona zikho iingenelo zokudityaniswa kwehlabathi, abantu abaninzi basavakalelwa kukuba eyona nto ininzi ziingxaki ngaphezu kweengenelo.

Uloyiko Lokuqhekeka Kwehlabathi

Kusenokwenzeka ukuba abantu baxhalatyiswa kukubona umsantsa oye wavulwa kukudityaniswa kwehlabathi phakathi kwezityebi namahlwempu. Alithandabuzeki elokuba ihlabathi liye laziqokelelela ubutyebi, kodwa obo butyebi buye bawela kwiqaqobana labantu nembinana nje yamazwe. Abona bantu bazizityebi ehlabathini lonke abangama-200 banezinto ezixabisa ngaphezulu komvuzo odityanisiweyo wabantu abangama-40 ekhulwini wabantu abakwesi sijikelezi langa—abantu abanokuba sisi-2,4 samawaka ezigidi. Yaye ngoxa imivuzo ithe gqolo ukunyuka kumazwe atyebileyo, kumazwe angama-80 athwaxwa bubuhlwempu, umvuzo womntu oqhelekileyo wehlile kule minyaka ilishumi idluleyo.

Enye into ephinda ixhalabise abantu kukubona oko kwenzeka kwimeko-bume. Eyona nto iphambili kubantu abaququzelela ukudityaniswa kwezoqoqosho kukwenza ingeniso kunokuba bakhusele isijikelezi-langa. UAgus Purnomo, ongumalathisi weWorld Wide Fund for Nature eIndonesia, uyichaza ngolu hlobo le ngxubakaxaka: “Sizixhalabise ngenkqubela. . . . Ndinoloyiko lokuba kwisithuba seminyaka elishumi uya kuba sele ubonakala umonakalo owenzeka kwimeko-bume, kodwa kungekho nto sinokuyenza ngaloo nto.”

Kanti abantu baxhalabele nemisebenzi yabo. Ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi nokukhuphisana kweenkampani kubangele ukuba zibhenele ekusebenziseni iindlela ezilula nezikhawulezayo, nto leyo ebangela ukuba abantu bangaqiniseki ngemisebenzi nemivuzo yabo. Kwinkampani exhalabele ukuzuza ingeniso engakumbi kusenokubonakala kulula ukuqesha nokudenda abasebenzi ngokwendlela efuna ngayo, kodwa kushiya abantu besentlungwini nasezingxakini.

Ukudityaniswa kweemarike zemali ehlabathini lonke kuye kweza nezinye iingxaki. Abatyali-mali bamazwe ngamazwe banokutyala izityhwentywe zemali kumazwe asakhasayo baze bayitsale yonke ngaphandle kokubhungisa xa iimeko zoqoqosho zisiba maxongo kuloo mazwe. Ukutsala imali eninzi ngolo hlobo ngaxeshanye kunokwenza imeko yezoqoqosho yamazwe amaninzi ibe mandundu. Xa kwawohloka ezoqoqosho e-East Asia ngowe-1998 abantu abazizigidi ezili-13 baphelelwa yimisebenzi. Kwanabo baqhubeka besebenza eIndonesia, imali ababeyamkela yayingabancedi kangako.

Ngoko ke, ngokucacileyo ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi kuneengxaki neengenelo. Ngaba ufanele ukoyike ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi? Okanye ngaba ulindele ukuba kuphucule ubomi bakho? Ngaba ukudityaniswa kwehlabathi kunik’ ithemba lokuba izinto ziya kuphinda zilunge? Le mibuzo iza kuxutyushwa kwinqaku elilandelayo.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 19]

Abona bantu bazizityebi ehlabathini lonke abangama-200 banezinto ezixabisa ngaphezulu komvuzo odityanisiweyo wabantu abangama-40 ekhulwini abasehlabathini

[Ibhokisi/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 21]

UKUSETYENZISWA KOBUGCISA KWINKQUBO YOKUDITYANISWA KWEHLABATHI

Ubugcisa buye bazitshintsha iindlela zonxibelelwano kwishumi leminyaka edluleyo. Kungakhathaliseki nokuba ukweyiphi na indawo ehlabathini, unokunxibelelana nabanye abantu uze ufumane inkcazelo ngokukhawuleza, ngeendleko eziphantsi nangeendlela ezilula.

UMABONWAKUDE Inkoliso yabantu ehlabathini ngoku iyakwazi ukubukela umabonwakude, kwanokuba ayinaye. Ngowe-1995, kubantu abali-1000 ehlabathini lonke, abangama-235 babenoomabonwakude, nani elo eliphantse liliphinde kabini inani labantu ababenoomabonwakude ngowe-1980. Isatellite inokubangela abantu abahlala kwiindawo ezisemaphandleni bakwazi ukubukela iinkqubo zehlabathi lonke. UFrancis Fukuyama, unjingalwazi wezoqoqosho uthi: “Namhlanje, yonke into eqhubekayo kumazwe ngamazwe yaziwa lihlabathi lonke.”

I-INTERNET Veki nganye, kukho abantu abatsha abamalunga nama-300 000 abaqalisa ukusebenzisa i-Internet. Ngowe-1999 kwakuthelekelelwa ukuba abantu abazizigidi ezingama-700 baya kuba besebenzisa i-Internet ngowama-2001. Umbhali uThomas L. Friedman uthi: “Ehlabathini akuzange ngaphambili kubekho abantu abaninzi kangaka abazi into eqhubekayo ebomini babantu, ngezinto zabo nendlela abacinga ngayo.”

UMNXEBA Iingcingo zomnxeba namajelo esatellite ziye zazinciphisa iindleko zokusebenzisa umnxeba. Ngowe-1930, umntu oseNew York otsalela umnxeba eLondon aze athethe kangangemizuzu emithathu wayehlawula ii-R2 860 kodwa ngowe-1999 eli xabiso lehla laya kutsho kwii-R4 00. Umnxeba osebenza ngamaza kanomathotholo ngoku sele uxhaphake njengekhompyutha. Kuqikelelwa ukuba ngasekupheleni kowe-2002, kuya kube kukho abantu abaliwaka lezigidi abasebenzisa umnxeba ophathwayo, yaye uninzi lwabo luya kusebenzisa le minxeba ukuze lunxibelelane nabo basebenzisa i-Internet.

IMICROCHIP Zonke ezo zixhobo sele sizikhankanyile neziphuculwa umhla nezolo, zisebenza ngemicrochip. Kwiminyaka engama-30 edluleyo, amandla emicrochip ebephindaphindeka rhoqo ngeenyanga ezili-18. Akuzange ngaphambili kugcinwe inkcazelo eninzi kangaka kwisixhobo esincinane ngale ndlela.

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 19]

Globes on pages 21, 23-26, and 29: NASA photo