| By John O'Shea, Irish Times, 28th December
2006
Why does the Government continue to support corrupt regimes by
routing Irish taxpayers' aid money through them? asks John O'Shea
Two words sprang immediately from an article in The Irish Times
by Minister of State for Development Co-operation and Human Rights
Conor Lenihan. Writing of the difficulties the Government faces
in its efforts to deliver aid via the governments of Uganda and
Ethiopia, Lenihan referred to the use of Irish taxpayers' money
as being "fully accountable".
Quite who takes account of how that money is spent by some of the
most corrupt and dangerous politicians in the world today was never
satisfactorily explained.
The Minister alluded to the fact that he had concerns about the
situation in Uganda and recent killings perpetrated by the Ethiopian
army in Addis Ababa but, intriguingly, added: "We will not
cut and run at the first sign of difficulties." I found this
comment startling. For the last five years, there has been abundant
evidence to support cutting official aid to Uganda while, just last
June, the Ethiopian armed forces opened fire on their own people,
repeating the practice a month ago.
Surely it is time to take a meaningful stand against corruption
in Africa and the most powerful way to do that is by depriving it
of the nutrient of Irish taxpayers' money.
Mr Lenihan stated in his piece how "the promotion of human
rights is an essential part of Ireland's aid programme".
Outlined below are some facts that challenge the Government's commitment
to that statement and contest the theory that bilateral aid is the
only way forward.
In Ethiopia:
• Recent post-election protests left 80 people dead, killed
by Ethiopian government forces. An estimated 10,000 supporters
of the opposition have been imprisoned, including 20 leaders.
• Freedom of the media has been severely curtailed, with
15 journalists currently being held without charge and five private
Amharic weekly newspapers suspended.
• In June Britain froze £20 million in aid to Ethiopia
in the wake of the first bout of civil unrest.
• A Human Rights Watch report last March confirmed that
the Ethiopian military has committed widespread murder, rape and
torture against the Anuak population in the remote southwestern
region of Gambella since December 2003, and that the army is terrorising
the rural population with impunity.
In Uganda:
• Its biggest aid donor, Britain, has cut £15 million
(€22 million) in aid and frozen another £5 million
because of the arrest of an opposition leader and other concerns
about President Museveni's rule. A statement from the British
High Commission in Kampala said the aid cut was due to concerns
about "the government's commitment to the independence of
the judiciary, freedom of the press and freedom of association"
following the arrest.
• The International Court of Justice has ruled that Uganda
must pay compensation to the tune of $10 billion to the Democratic
Republic of Congo for looting during the 1998-2003 war.
• Sweden froze $5.1 million in aid recently because of Museveni's
behaviour.
• Lenihan cut Ireland's support to the Ugandan government
by €3 million earlier this year.
• Four weeks ago, the Netherlands withheld a quarter of
its budget support to the Ugandan government over concerns about
governance and macro-economic management.
• In November the World Bank reduced budget support to the
Ugandan government because of a 13 per cent overspend on public
administration, which occurred at the expense of other areas identified
as critical for poverty reduction.
• The World Bank estimates that Uganda loses about $300
million annually through corruption and procurement malpractices.
• Northern Uganda has witnessed a spate of vicious attacks
on unarmed humanitarian workers in recent weeks.
• A KPMG report in October revealed that almost 70 per cent
of respondents from Uganda said that fraud is a major problem
in their business, but few report it due to a lack of confidence
in the police.
The Ethiopian and Ugandan governments continue to abuse the basic
human rights of their own people. If "the promotion of human
rights is an essential part of Ireland's aid programme", why
then should the Irish Government continue to support corrupt regimes
by routing its taxpayers' money through them?
Despite the Minister's pronouncements that taxpayers' money is
not misspent, the Audit Committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs
last May highlighted the absence of a clear fraud policy for the
department, and called for focused internal financial controls.
What level of crimes against humanity do the governments of Uganda
and Ethiopia need to perpetrate, before the Government decides to
cut off financial aid to these repressive regimes? What message
is it sending to the survivors of human rights abuses, and those
who have suffered at the hands of both administrations, if Ireland
continues to channel aid through those regimes?
It is an incontrovertible fact that aid can only have a positive
impact on economic and social development if given to countries
with good governance systems. Aid to corrupt governments is ineffective.
Worse, it is irresponsible.
It is presumptuous of Lenihan to assert that government-to-government
aid is the only way of reaching the poor on the continent.
Has he forgotten the gargantuan contribution that Irish missionaries
have made to the alleviation of suffering in Africa? Furthermore,
the part played by the NGO community - many of whom are Irish -
in ensuring that only the poorest benefit from the generosity of
the West, cannot be overstated.
Africa's people are poorer and more marginalised than at any time
since independence. That tragic reality is down to the plethora
of corrupt dictators who continue to preside over appalling abuses
of their hapless people.
I believe that Conor Lenihan, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern
and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern are genuine in their desire to do the
best for the people of Ethiopia and Uganda. But their policy of
government-to-government aid for those countries is seriously flawed
and misguided.
John O'Shea - Chief Executive, GOAL |
