A chara, - Justin Kilcullen of Trocaire (November 17th) is correct in calling for the cancellation of the debt of Central American countries hit by Hurricane Mitch. However, this measure must be accompanied by others which ensure that the benefits of the debt cancellation are passed to the people of these countries. The President of Nicaragua, Arnoldo Aleman, has stated that even if the debt were cancelled, he would continue to implement the IMF-imposed stabilisation policies. These have led to cuts in social services and to price rises, and had dramatically increased the levels of malnutrition, ill-health and poverty even before the hurricane. If he were to do this the only beneficiary of the debt cancellation would be the government itself, a government described by the World Bank in a report of March this year as lacking in transparency, internal controls and auditing systems.
Our Government must call for debt cancellation and humane policies by international lending institutions, which will lead to human development instead of human misery. - Yours, etc., Molly O'Duffy,
Temple Cottages, Broadstone, Dublin 7.