Spot'd(evelopment)

this came out from a conversation i had with S after our group meeting today. we were talking about the state of the world and how despite G8 being made up of 7 other countries, the US always seems to have it their way… well almost. The Iraq war happened, that’s one proof to it.

There are so many things worth blogging about today, at this very moment there are a number of ongoing development issues that i have been closely following, amongst others the rising food prices but more urgently the post-disaster situation in Myanmar at the moment.

The UN has for a while been under scrutiny of many critics in relation to the amount of ‘power’ it has to deliver aid relief, decisions making on the go-ahead with war and generally to effect change unto where it is needed most. This past week, I may perhaps agree with a few of them.

Aid-relief in the form of much needed food, medicine, and clean water are currently found ’stuck’ at the borders of Thailand and Myanmar. UN’s Sec-Gen, Ban-Ki Moon seem to be doing something but that something does not appear to be significant enough to change the minds of military junta in Myanmar. According to Seth Mydans writing for International Herald Tribune -

Secretary General Ban Ki Moon urged the authorities to let aid into the country “without hindrance” and said the effect of further delay could be “truly catastrophic.”

Somehow the action word ‘urging’ seem to reinforce further UN’s helpless state and weak institution power to override the military juntas. I seriously think at a time like this, international relations must take backseat if it is in the name of reaching out and the saving the lives of those who are directly affected by the cyclone.

On the flip side, one can only imagine the amount of money that will eventually go towards aid-relief, post-disaster rebuilding projects in Myanmar. To NGOs and to the country offices of multilateral agencies stationed in the country. Like Maldives, as I have heard a first hand account today, aid when it is restricted to the hands of few who reigns the most power in decision making and public policies are the most unlikely to reach the bottom few, the poor and those living in hard-core poverty.

Money at the hands of the few, often whose education are the reason they are in such position, risks carelessness and corruption. The World Bank was once critiqued for its grandiose expenditures on first class flights and other frills that come with the job description. It is even more sad to discover that this is not limited to one multilateral agency.

With all this knowledge, it is not hard to finally figure out why in 2008, seven years away from the deadline to the 8 MDGs, we still see Bono fighting against a cause that never seems to rid of itself – poverty.