Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Don't let the rich make us turn our backs on the poor.
Foreign aid is always a contentious issue. Unbelievably rich elites in developing countries can sour people's otherwise generous spirited feelings of solidarity with the poor. It's as if the poor must not only provide the wealth of the ruling elite but are doomed to take the blame for this wealth as well. We hear so much about India's booming economy, Bollywood, the space programme and mega rich entrepreneurs that it seems absurd for us to be granting aid. Tell that to the millions of kids who go to bed hungry every night. NUJ President Donnacha De Long has a thoughtful post on his blog about aid to India and the historical parallels with 19th century Ireland. Well worth a look.
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"A nation as such does not give aid to another nation. More precisely, the common citizens of our country, through their taxes, give to the privileged elites of another country. As someone once said: foreign aid is when the poor people of a rich country give money to the rich people of a poor country." (Michael Parenti)
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