A few days ago, John Key announced that NZ would be giving “millions” to the National Transitional Council representing the rebels in Libya, ahead of UN recognition of the NTC and any request from them for such aid.
What the hell is this about? Libya is an oil-rich country. The UN is right now moving to lift the freeze on Libyan assets to the tune of $US1.5 billion, so why does the NTC need money from NZ? Who is pulling Key’s strings here? And did he tell his Foreign Affairs Minister? Where is the money coming from? Are we going to cut even more of the aid programmes in the Pacific to divert money to a country which doesn’t need it? These questions need answering.
Don’t get me wrong – I think we should assist Libya as it moves towards democracy, even if it is not as we know it. They will need assistance by way of training people in the maintenance of the rule of law, the establishment of accountable public structures which are transparent to the people, governance matters, etc. That’s where we can help.
And while John Key is distributing unnecessary largesse to an organisation which has yet to get full international recognition, Murray McCully has been dragging his heels in disbursing aid promised 6 weeks ago to the relief effort in the Horn of Africa. Children are dying by the thousands from the worst drought in 20 years and a call on our aid budget in this respect is legitimate and compelled by any humanitarian impulse.
But McCully has dicked about with disbursing this money – only just an hour or two ago, putting out a release that says he has made the decision on which NGOs will get the $1million promised 6 weeks ago. Provoked by bad press. How principled. What about the $1million promised to the World Food Programme? When did that get paid, if it has been?
Not good enough, Murray.
I feel sorry for the starving people in Africa.
I agree with you Maryan. The countries that need to be pouring aid into Libya are the ones that share the Mediterranean Sea Coast, because they are the nearest neighbours. We should be looking at other ways of helping.
My guess is John Key has hopped on a foreign chariety bandwagon, based on the media exposure the event has caught.
And as Murray McCully dicking around with the foreign aid – sounds like normal. He has been at it since 2008, he has stuffed up the foreign aid sector, and now it just doesn’t function right.
I’m sorry I sound suddenly pro-Gaddafi, but let’s not forget that Libya was the biggest contributor of aid to the African Union (eclipsing Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa).
What the West has never felt comfortable with was the USD$97 billion pledged (profits from oil exports) by Gaddafi to the African Union.
Fortunately, it suits us much better to imagine what has happened was the fault of as a “Mad Dog” who turns snipers and tanks on innocent civilians. I am not sure if its the same in NZ, but the UK newspapers for the last few days have been chocka block with articles about gay porn DVDs found in Gaddafi’s son’s bedroom by looters, and a photograph album full of pictures of Connie Rice allegedly kept by Gaddafi.
*manically chalks up a venn diagram/dizzying series of calculations on a blackboard* you see?
But I agree with you Maryann, the opportunistic rush to throw money at Libya (see how much better you are now that Gaddafi is gone?) is complete rubbish. Money being thrown at Libya is not going to avert violence and radicalisation.
{deleted, unsubstantiated allegation, Grant}
My preference would be that no NZ taxpayer money go anywhere those countries.
{deleted, disgusting. You are banned, Grant}
How pray tell Maryan do you expect to have any gravitas on the diplomatic circuit when you publish remarks about Ministers “dicking” about
Ben, would you rather she said ‘Because of Murray McCully’s incompetence, and the delay it caused in the delivery of the NZ$million in aid New Zealand promised, numerous starving children starved on.’?
I think “dicking” is very polite.
We need to look at aid and the Horn Africa in light of the Libyan developments.
The hot news is that Gadaffi has joined Mengistu Haile Miriam {Ethopian in Zimbabwe since 1992}in accepting Mugabe ‘s hospitality It will be great for Mugabe if Gadaffi has access to aid and cash.He will benefit
For the Horn of Africa
Without Troops and Tanks/ Mark Duffieldand JohnPrendergast
should be required reading
Agrarian Reform in Ethiopa/Dessalegen Rahmato highlights the problems with reform and intervention.Much of the aid of 1980s has been in the political interests of the US rather than what is appropriate in the circumstances
Grant – this is my first opportunity to revisit since my earlier post.
Given that the payment by the Labour Government to Hamas will show in the Government accounts of the time – how can my comment be an unsubstantiated allegation? Is this now a sensitive issue?
Grant – here are two links confirming that Labour gave aid of NZ$500K to Hamas.
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2006/03/national_calls_for_halt_to_hamas_aid.html
http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/8D90179CB6FA1FB785257145006C156E
An apology would be nice.
@Spud:
So you feel sorry for the starving people of Africa. Then do something about it. Reach into your own pocket first.
Why is this country borrowing $380m a week from China and others, so we can shower other governments with foreign aid?
All this money we don’t have, that we’re so desperate to give to strangers, will end up having to be paid for by our children and grandchildren.
Why should the politicians of today be able to saddle others with debt just so they can get a warm fuzzy?
I’ve done the 40 hour famine!
Libya was not a country with a needy class of people.
The NATO carnage has slaughtered. maimed and dispossessed untold thousands.
The frozen money reserves belong to Libya.
In spite of NATO wishing to get their hands on those billions, their greed in trammeled by other African states who see the injustice.
NATO seems to have deep pockets for mayhem with little responsibility.
A NZ Army source hinted three days ago that NZ personnel may be assisting in NATO’s “peace” bombing related activities already.
Shame on John Key aligning NZ with a disgraceful event of undeclared war on Libya. The so called “National Transitional Council” leader is a renown thug no doubt Key could identify with.
@Ruth – if Gadaffi really has gone to join Col Mengistu with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, we have a truly terrifying triumvirate of cruel despots assembling in that forsaken country. Mengistu shot Haile Selassie and buried him beneath the chair in his own office so that Mengistu might always sit on top of him. So one of the stories goes. The polite version. Mengistu is much hated in Ethiopia and is skipped over quite quickly by docents in the museum in Addis Abeba.
@Ben – speaking of being polite – believe me, my use of the vernacular was polite given my strength of feeling about the way McCully has distorted both our aid practice and our reputation.
@Richard McGrath – didn’t your mother ever teach you that there is always someone worse off than yourself? I do reach into my own pocket, as do many other New Zealanders, on a monthly basis. And this government isn’t borrowing money to dole out aid – it is borrowing money to pay for unaffordable tax cuts for the wealthy, something I thought YOU thought was an excellent idea as a step towards levying no tax on anybody?
On the news last night I saw a hospital where wounded people were left to die because all the staff had been driven out.
People lay their wounded and died a slow death of blood loss and infection, surrounded by other dead and dying people.
And here you are Maryan, just by reflex, opposing what National does. Don’t you understand that this is exactly what people hate about Labour? Every comment made by John Key gets opposed without any thought – even when it is the right decision.
I’d like to see you look into the eyes of a bloodied dying man and tell him you won’t help him just because John Key said he would.
@davis – au contraire. We usually run a bipartisan approach to Foreign Affairs, with overseas aid being the only real point of contention between the two major parties, now that the anti-nuke position has been adopted by the Nats because of its overwhelming popularity. The point is that Libya will have access to huge funds shortly. This does not negate the horror of the events in the hospital to which you refer. But Key has jumped the gun on this one without proper consideration in my view.
You state Key has “jumped the gun”.
Maybe he’s just a quicker thinker.
I have no doubt Key is quick, particularly when it comes to using NZ for the ends of plundering warmonger’s propaganda.
Advanced planning with inside knowledge.
Libya will become a bankers coupe and the common people will suffer – all over again.
Actually John W, Key seems to be the first Prime Minister we have had in a while who actually cares about our country.
Helen Clark buggered off pretty quick. God she was awful.
“John Key ? cares about our country” ???
What has he done?
There is a big difference between a PR job and actually doing good for the country or its future generations.
Helen Clark was extremely careful not to throw our troups into unjust wars waged for corporate profit and private acquisition of foreign state assets and services.
Yes Maryan I agree the propect of Mengistu Haile Miriam,Robert Mugabe and Colonel Gadaffi is a very alarming propect. It is exactly why I raised it Gaddafi has been cultivating Mugabe for many years so he has credit there. In the same he supported the ANC in South Africa hence the quandary Zuma and his government found themselves in about releasing funds to “rebels”
identifying and concentrating on the critical issues is better than echanging brickbats with the opposition
I seem to have lost my continuing comment. Meles Zanawi has hardly got clean hands and it suits US foreign policy a
to support him despit the fact he ignores the UN. It was part of keeping the balance between the USSR and the US Now the confusion remains and the blame game persists
@Ruth – “concentrating on the critical issues” is exactly what Key should have done, instead of leaping in to a position others might have recommended to him. It is my job to hold him and Murray McCully to account. That is what I am doing. And yes, Meles Zanawi is no saint but there are good people in the Ethiopian Parliament who wish to make a difference and build a more democratic future for Ethiopia. But that is another subject altogether.
With a blowout of the Earthquake money e need to be asking Libya for aid.
I do believe in foreign aid and for those who railed against totalitarian rule in places like Libya maybe it’s time to put our collective money where our mouths are. However the earthquake is our own “aid” project. Between Warner Bros, SCF aid to non guaranteed investors double dipping a royal hosting how much could have gone to the earthquake victims… $100m? Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
OK. The $1.8 billion in unfrozen cash assets has been delivered to Libya. So where are all the Key defenders telling me how farsighted and quick thinking he was to commit “millions” from NZ?
@Tracey – it’s a burnt stick. It’s a reference to Odysseus poking one of the cyclops’ eye out. Just thought you might be interested. It was probably a bit sharp as well.