Madam, - The credibility of not just the Irish Government, but the Irish people, is at stake over the refusal to honour the Taoiseach's solemn commitment, given at the UN four years ago, to reach the overseas aid target of 0.7 per cent by 2007.
Bertie Ahern has brought dishonour and shame to the good name of the Irish people on the international stage. Now, in order to divert attention from this dishonourable act, the Fianna Fáil Minister responsible for delivering on this broken promise has attacked Irish third world agencies for spending a minimal fraction of their budgets on making the Irish people aware of the reasons why justice demands that the poorest of this world are entitled to an adequate income.
Mr Conor Lenihan should be offering an apology to the Irish electorate for his leader's broken promise instead of trying to blacken the good name of Irish aid agencies. There is still time to reverse this disgraceful decision and rescue our good name. - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN BUTLER , Co-ordinator, NGO Peace Alliance, Dublin 7.
Madam, - Mr Conor Lenihan's attempted obfuscation on the aid question shows a poor command of his brief.
Development agency expenditure on advocacy is vital in securing greater national and multilateral support for international development and the alleviation of global poverty. Indeed, the Government's reneging on its promise to designate 0.7 per cent of GNP for overseas aid by 2007 illustrates the need for enhanced advocacy work by the development NGO sector. There is now an international recognition - most of all in developing countries - that advocacy, campaigning and educational work in wealthy nations is essential in securing the policy and resource commitments required to achieve a more just and equal world.
Far from representing an abuse of public trust and money, expenditure on advocacy is fulfilling donors' expectations that development organisations will hold the Government to account when it relinquishes its responsibilities to the world's poor. - Yours, etc.,
STEPHEN McCLOSKEY, Director, Centre for Global Education, University Street, Belfast 7.
Madam, - Yet again the Government is wavering in its commitment to reach the UN target on overseas development aid. Those of us who have worked, or spent time, in the developing world know well the struggles that 1.2 billion people are enduring. This message seems to be regularly put on the back burner by the Government.
Despite windfalls in tax revenues over the past year or so, despite the fact that our wealthiest citizens in the horse-racing world are excluded from certain taxes and despite the fact that Ireland is now the fourth richest country in the world by income per person, the Government is reneging yet again.
For the Irish Government to indicate that it cannot phase in the required increases in funding over the next three years is a total fob-off.
Over the weekend, when I read in the Irish Times Magazine that the price of a glass of wine in a Dublin wine bar ranged from €6 to €8, I calculated that this could buy almost four 50kg bags of rice in The Gambia, a tiny country in West Africa. That could feed four families for four months. Many Irish people can afford to spend money without a thought. In the developing world people can only think about what they would like to spend just to feed their families.
Finally, the advocacy work carried out by non-governmental organisations is essential to bring about a more informed Irish public. The money that is spent in this sector is minuscule compared with what is spent on projects implemented with partners in the developing world. - Yours, etc.,
MARY BUCHALTER, The Grove, Kingswood Heights, Dublin 24.
Madam, - Would the Minister for Finance consider using the windfall tax take expected to come from the pursuit of single premium insurance policy holders as a means of making good the Government's erstwhile pledge to honour our obligations to the Third World by 2007?
Presumably, this has not yet been factored into the Budget arithmetic, and our delinquent taxpayers might not feel so bad if their taxes and penalties found such a worthy offshore home. - Yours, etc.,
TONY BARDON, Manor Heath, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.