Reassessment of Irish aid to Zimbabwe needed

Dear sir - The relative failure of the African community to condemn the horrific abuses orchestrated by Robert Mugabe tells us something about the lack of moral fibre among Africa"s leaders. This is a particular worry as these are the people who are entrusted to lead Africa out of poverty. The vast majority of Ireland"s development aid is routed through government-run programmes in countries led by men who by and large have accepted the result of one of the most shambolic elections the world has seen in decades. For example, Ethiopia"s Prime Minister Meles Zewani has argued that it is irrational and unfair to expect western standards of democracy from developing nations. However, when those nations are trusted to spend Irish taxpayers money on their development - as Ethiopia does to the tune of over €30 million every year - then it does not seem excessive to expect some level of accountability. In light of these comments, surely it is time to reassess the way in which the Irish aid money is delivered through government structures and instead implement a direct aid model, where taxpayers money is kept out of hands of those with no intention of using it to aid to poorest of the poor. Yours , John O"Shea, GOAL, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.