FOREIGN AID DEPENDENCY AND ITS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
The danger and ugly face of foreign aid dependency in the Horn of
Africa can be demonstrated by the fact that almost four decades after
the world-known famine hit the subcontinent, and despite the enormous
response from the international community, the problem still persists
in many parts of Africa, with little sign of abating.
What's even more troubling about foreign aid dependency is the
prevalence of conviction it instills in the minds of the recipients
that they can not survive any future economic upheavals without the
support of or "a hand out" from the western "rich" countries. Such
a crippling way of thinking did not come about by accident and in
fact has become a powerful tool certain western governments use to
keep Africa a begging continent, always at the mercy of "western
donors" and in exchange for a much larger political and economic
exploitation.
Praying for a rain...to Canada:
At one point during the famine of the 80's Canada was one of the
countries which helped in the relief efforts by sending tones and
tones of wheat to those affected. While the aid had definitely
helped alleviate the problem short-term, long term it created a
crippling effect of dependency amongst the beneficiary-turned-
victims. So much so that, it was said, people in the drought-
stricken region use to get so anxious of or worry over a weather
forecast that would suggest scarcity of rain or a possible drought in
Canada.
As a consequence, we witnessed a generation who'd become addicted to
aid and with a sick mentality that life was bearable as long as "it's
raining" in a land thousands of miles away. It is sad and sometimes
difficult to digest or contemplate such level of dependency in a
continent that is blessed with natural resources so abundant that it
should be looking for handouts from others. such mindset where people
have gone beyond the feeling of helplessness and reached a point
where they actually believe they can not function independently, as
unfortunate as it may be, comes as a blessing in disguise for certain
greedy powers who cash-in on such misfortune.
Breaking the Cycle of Food Aid Dependency:
Shortly after the formal independence in 1993, one of the major
challenges Eritrea faced with pertains to the issue of foreign aid
dependency and how to tackle it. Realizing early on the crippling
effect of persistent food aid on a given society, the government of
Eritrea adopted an economic policy that could, in a long run, help
the country become self-sufficient. Amidst unwarranted war of
aggression by Ethiopia and the subsequent persistent hostility from
the west, the people and government of Eritrea worked diligently in
the implementation of the agricultural programs set forth. Major work
was accomplished in improving the country's irrigation system through
water conservation and building of big and small dams.
One of the proudest moments in Eritrea's history that is largely
accredited to its sound agricultural policy and its hard working
people was when it declined food aid during the most recent drought
in the region, citing food surplus, while some of its neighboring
countries helplessly sought for humanitarian aid. Has Eritrea reached
a point where the chain of chronic economic dependency inflicted upon
the continent is totally broken? The answer is No. But, it's
certainly building a foundation that paves a way in meeting such status.
And this is perhaps the main reason and where Canadian government's
"squabble" with Eritrea stems from. Oddly, the Canadian government
finds Eritrea's stand on foreign aid and its advocacy on and practice
of self-reliance rather distasteful. To one's recollection this may
be the first time in Africa's history where a long held practice
involving food aid that has no long-term solution; one which can be
equated to a use of a band aid to treat a gun-inflicted wound was
flatly rejected. A resistance to food aid and a notion of mutual
trade relationship without any political pressure proposed by a
"small African State" was something unheard of before for countries
who somehow feel that they should dictate any economic dealings with
Africa.
Allegations of Human Rights Abuse and Terrorism against Eritrea
Canada's Hypocrisy towards Eritrea.
The government of Canada recently threatened to shut down Eritrean
consulate for collecting a 2% tax from Eritrean-Canadians, a practice
which is norm across the globe. Such threat of action, we were told,
was because of Eritrea's alleged link to Somalia's militants and the
unfounded claim that such remittance is being used to finance such
group. "Tsintsiway", is the term commonly used in Tigrigna when one
hears a garbage story such as this.
Canada, more than any other country, knows well that Eritrea has no
involvement with terrorism what's so ever. In contrary to what has
been reported, this North American country also has firsthand
knowledge about the good use of the 2% remittance collected from the
Diasporas. If history is any guide, Eritrea was one of the first
countries that was targeted by some elements of Alquida, way before
the west had any knowledge of such group. Because of its secular
system of governance, the militants tried to destabilize the country
by engaging in cross border operations with out success.
Ignoring such a historical fact about Eritrea's role on terrorism,
the government of Canada has chosen to be at the forefront with those
who are set out to harm Eritrea's economy on the bases of some
baseless, bogus and highly exaggerated "human rights abuse,
terrorism" allegations.
What's rather interesting is, however, to note how hypocrite Canada
has become in its shaping its trade ties with other nations. From the
get go one can deduce that Canada's relationship with other countries
has little to do with the latter's human rights records and more to
do with its geopolitical and economic interests. To confirm such
assessment all one has to do is look at some of the countries this
government has strong diplomatic and trade ties with. These are
countries one by no means would consider democratic. Far from it.
Some of these countries Canada wheals and deals with on a regular
basis have zero religious tolerance and are involved in gross human
rights violations; while others are accused for denying the rights
of certain groups to coexist as neighbors by expanding resettlement
programs in defiance to international law.
According to the Canadian government website, for instances, Ethiopia
is a country of focus for Canada's international development
assistance, and Canada is the third largest donor to
Ethiopia. ....... In 2010-2011, the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) provided $176.66 million in development and
humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia through bilateral and
multilateral channels as well as through Canadian civil society"
On the same government website, Ethiopia was described as "the most
stable country in the most volatile region". Thanks to the internet
and alternative media where accurate and unbiased information has
become easily accessible, Ethiopia, aka "a western darling", is not
exactly how its friends want to portray it to be. The undeniable fact
is Ethiopia is the most unstable country in the region where we have
seen gross abuses of human rights whether in Somalia, Ogaden or
Oromia region. It's led by a brutal regime that rigged elections on
two occasions, killing hundreds of civilians and imprisoning
decedents; Addis Ababa is run by a terrorist regime that bombs its
own people just to turn around and blame and accuse Eritrea or other
rebel movements. These are not mere allegations but facts that were
leaked via Wiki Leaks. Ethiopia is a country that declared a
unilateral war against a neighboring country-Eritrea and continues to
occupy its land in defiance to international law and with the
blessing of certain western "friends". Yet, the government of Canada
not only failed to address these significant human rights and
geopolitical issues that are majorly contributing to the instability
in the region, but chose to reward such reckless acts and prides
itself for been "the third largest donor" to a country with the worst
human rights records.
To highlight further on the high degree of hypocrisy of the Canadian
government when it comes to its trade dealings with others, let's
site other examples in which the government has no qualms in
establishing trade partnership with countries whose human rights
records are far from impressive.
Saudi Arabia is Canada's largest trade partner among the seven
countries of the Arabian Peninsula, totaling more than $2,000,000,000
in trade in 2005, according to Wikipedia.
According to Canada government's website, Canada-Israel trade
relationship is described as such: "In 2011, bilateral merchandise
trade between Canada and Israel was valued at $1.38 billion. This
year, 2012, marks the 15th anniversary of the Canada-Israel Free
Trade Agreement (CIFTA) which extends preferential tariff treatment
to goods originating in the territory to which Israeli customs laws
are applied."
While Israel may be more democratic and has a more sound human rights
records domestically as compared to some of its neighbors, it's
nonetheless a party largely to blame for blocking the UN endorsed
establishment of a Palestinian state and for engaging in gross human
rights violations in the Gaza strip and others.
Yet, we don't see the government of Canada come forth in speaking
about human rights violations and lack of democracy against the
aforementioned countries. In contrary, what we see is the
strengthening of economic ties which is seen by the said states as a
"green light" to continue disregarding international laws left and
right.
It's with such backdrop that people are beginning to pay little
attention to the western media's, including that of Canada, preach
and an outcry on human rights issues and system of governance that
themselves have little regard.
When it comes to Eritrea there's a clear case of double standard. For
over a decade the west, through its main stream media, tried to
portray the East African country in a negative way, labeling it as
"poor", "rogue", "dictatorial" and, at times, equating its system of
governance to that of North Korea. The so called "Human Rights Watch"
has been very instrumental in spreading such highly exaggerated and
often false claims of rights violations in fulfilling their ill-
conceived agenda against Eritrea. The deafening noise of human rights
violation in Bisha we're currently hearing from the HRW and the
likes, just at a time when Eritrea is calling for intensification of
investment in the country, is a well orchestrated act of defamation
and a continuation to the previous malicious attacks to slow down
Eritrea's economic advancements.
Canada, one of the countries whose mining company is actively
operating in Eritrea, not only remained silent over the false and
fabricated reports of "forced labor" in Bisha for which the company
was implicated (which many find it odd), it continues to accuse
Eritrea of human rights violations and terrorism unabated.
No country is perfect. There's a common saying that the faultless
entities are those who do nothing- like a sitting duck. Eritrea,
despite its limitations and the continuous and unwarranted malicious
attacks from many corners, is doing its best to improve the people's
standard of living. As the saying goes "Rome was not built in one
day". And the same should also apply to Eritrea. In all fairness,
which is a gesture that has become a rare commodity in the world we
live in, Eritrea has performed better whether it's in healthcare,
education or the overall quality of life than its counterparts.
Recently, the country has received recognition from the United
Nations for achieving some and on being on track of the UN Millennium
goal in near-eradicating malaria, reducing HIV and infant mortality
rates significantly, among others. Today, life expectancy in Eritrea
is about 66 years, 6 to 10 years higher than that of its counterparts
with similar socioeconomic status. The policy it's following, though
by no means perfect with room for improvement, is nonetheless sound
and the right path with which foreign aid dependency can be
eradicated and a key to socioeconomic liberty.
Based on the evidence of western hypocrisy described, it is quite
obvious that Eritrea is a victim that has been targeted unfairly by
Canada and other western nations. While the motives behind such
malicious attacks could be anyone's guess, most people can reach with
similar, if not the same, conclusion. And it has little to do with
the country's human rights records. Rather, Eritrea's policy of self-
reliance driven- economic emancipation is somehow perceived as a
threat and unpalatable to the western-imposed policy whereby Africa
is to remain economically dependent and always at the mercy of
western donors in times of crisis.
Received on Sat Jan 26 2013 - 21:37:41 EST
