Madam, - Your Editorial of November 17th points out that it behoves Development Co-operation Ireland to ensure Irish aid money is spent efficiently, and that it must be proofed against corruption and other misuse. That is the single most important sentence to appear in a newspaper for a long time.
You are absolutely right - yet the Irish Government will hand the Ethiopian and Ugandan governments €70 million of taxpayers' cash in the coming year, despite their atrocious record on human rights and political corruption. Both leaders are dictators; both have blood on their hands; and both have been severely criticised for their callous treatment of their own citizens.
Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia has admitted massacring 42 of his citizens in mid-November, and 36 last June, as they marched on the streets of Addis Ababa protesting at the rigged presidential elections. The US, the EU and the World Bank, together with a number of countries, have announced they will be reviewing aid.
Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has, despite opposition from US president George Bush and others, decided to make himself president for an unprecedented third term. His record on human rights is among the worst of any leader in Africa, prompting the World Bank to cut aid last week.
Irish taxpayers are right to expect basic respect for human rights and political transparency from recipient governments in this multi-million-euro aid industry. Propping up these two regimes goes against the norms of morality, and must end now. - Yours, etc,
JOHN O'SHEA, GOAL, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.