MICHAEL KENNEFICK,
Sir, - I wish to register the strongest possible protest about the cut in Irish foreign aid announced by the Government. This came as a bolt from the blue to me and many others, including our African friends, as prior to the election the outgoing FF/PD government made public commitments to increase the aid budget.
Why the U-turn? Why make promises only to break them when you get back into government? That, to me, is playing politics with people's lives. The Irish Times rightly characterised the announced cut as "meanness". I would go further and call it stinginess of the meanest order.
I was in Zambia in June 2002, my fourth visit since I completed a 14-year stint (1977-1991) as an English teacher. I was shocked by the levels of abject poverty being experienced by the vast bulk of the population, the rampant HIV/Aids pandemic, and the high levels of corruption among the ruling élite.
In all my years there, I never saw the social and economic situation in such a bad way. It is a catastrophe. Millions of people, not only in Zambia, but also in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique are facing famine. I will never forget the little bare-footed children in ragged clothes approaching me at traffic junctions, both hands outstretched, begging for "nsima" (the local staple).
In the face of this mounting catastrophe, what does the Irish Government do? Announce cuts in aid! It is now more than ever that Zambians and others in southern Africa need all the help and support they can get. This decision runs directly counter to Irish traditions of generosity, hospitality and solidarity with the poor of the Third World. It is also a betrayal of our own history of suffering during the Great Famine. -
Is mise,
MICHAEL KENNEFICK, Westbourne Place, College Road, Cork.