U.N. Chief Urges Immediate Aid for Tsunami-Torn Countries
By SCOTT SHANE and RAYMOND BONNER, NY Times, Int'l
The UN suits, now in control with the disbanding of the US Aid Coalition, met in Jakarta to ask the world for yet more money, deftly sidestepping addressing the more important issue of logistics.
Well now... there's a hit out of the ballpark for demonstrating capabilities. NOT!
What, pray tell, is the point of asking for more cash when they are not wisely using and spending what they already have? This isn't to say the world won't respond further down line as needed. But geez... is this the best the UN can do when re-assuming "control"?
I am oh so pleased to note my grievance is shared. It is not just Americans who are skeptical about the UN's ability to handle cash.
The very scale of the money pledged for tsunami relief has raised questions about how it will be managed and spent.
"We don't need a donors' conference, we need a logistics conference," said a European ambassador.
"Everyone agrees with that," said a senior American official.
He added that America was insisting on "accountability," which is the diplomatic way of acknowledging "corruption."
Corruption has been endemic here, starting with the most senior officials and filtering down to the civil servants who deal with the public.
Donor countries know that corruption will mean that not all of their donations will reach the people in need, diplomats from several countries said.
"Let's be realistic," said the American official. The hope is that 95 cents of each donated dollar gets out to the people, he said. An Asian diplomat with long experience in Indonesia put the figure at 90 cents on the dollar.
Beyond the corruption, another fear is that charities affiliated with Al Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah or other radical Islamic organizations will use the opportunity to infiltrate into Aceh.
(snip)
With a disaster of this scale, there is no doubt the UN officials will be working under a magnifying glass - and deservedly so.
No comments:
Post a Comment