Madam, - Tony Allwright (June 6th) stresses the importance of world democracy in alleviating world poverty. On the same page Dr L.F. Lacey talks about the need for good governance in Africa. I would not disagree with either correspondent. If only the World Bank's big sister, the International Monetary Fund, could be similarly persuaded.
In March this year, Ghana's democratically elected government was forced - by IMF pressure - to use emergency measures to overturn a two-year-old parliamentary act which had the purpose of increasing import taxes on rice and poultry. The country's beleaguered farmers had quite properly petitioned their elected MPs to do something about the glut of heavily subsidised American rice and European chickens being dumped on their home markets.
Forcing a fledgling West African economy to lower its defences against subsidised imports is deeply hypocritical, and it makes a green and fertile country unnecessarily aid-dependent. The issue of interfering in another country's democracy is something that the G8 leaders might care to raise with the IMF when next they meet. - Yours, etc,
ADRIAN HORSMAN,
Communications & Media Manager,
Christian Aid Ireland,
Clanwilliam Terrace,
Dublin 2.
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Madam, - Dr D.F. Lacey (June 7th), in stating that African countries have been "mostly misruled by deranged despots and/or pillaging kleptocrats", provides one of the strongest arguments for debt relief: Why should struggling nations be forced to repay the loans which bankrolled the tyranny of former despots or which were syphoned off to the Swiss bank accounts of their former kleptocrats?
In the corporate world the risk of default serves as a check on institutions lending to bad managements. Perhaps if loans made to despots and kleptocrats did not have to be honoured institutions would be less willing to bankroll them.
Of course debt relief should be linked to good governance and transparency on the part of recipients. Campaigners acknowledge this - but there's still a fight ahead to get this far. - Yours, etc,
PAUL SWEENEY,
Port Melbourne,
Australia.