Seanad debates

Wednesday, 26 November 2003

Overseas Development Aid: Motion.

 

I will start with where the Minister of State left off and say that I have been to Uganda too and I know the concerns people have. It is all very well imposing democracy and one's way of life on a country, but as the Minister of State rightly said we have given people ownership of these programmes. We are there as partners with them, not to tell them what to do. All the efforts I saw being made in Uganda were absolutely excellent. One meets people in various parts of Africa who seem to posses the right calibre for running the whole country and then a few weeks later one discovers that they have been dismissed on some terrible charge. That happens here, too. Those sort of things happen. It is as well not to be too self-righteous about politicians in other countries because there can be problems, as we know only too well.

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