ABSTRACT
Third World Network (TWN) began life as an offshoot of the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) in Malaysia. Formed in the late 1960s by S. M. Mohamed Idris, an Indian-born politician turned social activist, CAP had always interpreted consumerism in the broadest sense, and during the 1970s it grew to be one of the most prominent critics of poor governance, both domestic and global, in the country. In 1984, CAP organized an international conference of NGOs from developing countries to address common problems of development and environmentalism. TWN was formed at the conclusion of the conference, as a network organization to maintain and expand thes between NGOs in developing countries. Initially, it operated as a department of CAP, although by the late 1980s it had developed into more of an independent organization in its own right. TWN and CAP remain closely linked, however, along with a third NGO, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM— Friends of the Earth Malaysia), also with Idris at the helm. The three organizations share facilithes such as office space and, to a certain extent, funding and members of staff.
