Sir, - John O'Shea (World View, August 12th) has done donors to developing countries a service in highlighting what can happen to funds given in the name of development.
Highlighting corruption, whether it is in developing countries or Ireland is a good and noble thing to do and John O'Shea has worked long and hard enough in the business of Third World aid to be taken seriously. We have had strong lobbying for debt cancellation and rightly so. To strengthen the case for debt relief, lobbyists would be advised to work in tandem with tackling massive corruption among the Third World oligarchy. Making people aware of what has happened and can happen to contributions sent in the name of the poor helps us all in our quest for justice and peace. The people who incurred the debt and benefited from this arrangement have become wealthy and powerful. Aid in a more targeted way, as suggested by John O'Shea, seems to go some way in countering the grasping hands of the wealthy and powerful barons.
We have been told many times that the salvation for developing countries lies with these countries themselves. How many times have we heard: "Aid without strings attached?" Trade not Aid? Could we really believe and trust that unmonitored aid relying solely on the good offices and track record of many third World leaders would bring about any real change? - Yours, etc.,
Bro Martin Murphy, SJ Gardiner Street, Dublin 1.