Madam, - The silence of the Minister for Finance on the scandal surrounding World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz is undermining the commitment of the Irish Government to tackling poverty and inequality in impoverished countries.
Debt and Development Coalition Ireland does not view Paul Wolfowitz as a legitimate leader of the World Bank due to the deeply undemocratic way in which the US government appoints the president of the institution. Wolfowitzs' role as a leading architect of the war in Iraq further compromised any possibility of him being viewed as an impartial leader of a development institution. Now that even more questions surround his personal integrity, Wolfowitz must live up to his own rhetoric of "zero tolerance" on corruption, and resign.
The World Bank's failure to act swiftly in this matter, despite intense dissatisfaction from many bank members and staff, highlights the deep-seated problem of lack of accountability within the institution. The World Bank has wrecked havoc on the economies of impoverished countries through its funding of damaging projects and by attaching destructive conditions to its loans and aid. Impoverished countries have little opportunity to challenge this situation due to the control of the richest countries over the bank's far-reaching decision-making and policy prescriptions.
As our representative at the World Bank, the Minister for Finance must demonstrate a commitment to addressing these fundamental contradictions at the heart of the World Bank by immediately calling for Paul Wolfowitz's resignation. - Yours, etc,
NESSA NÍ CHASAIDE, Co-ordinator, Debt and Development Coalition Ireland, All Hallows, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.