Insult to all who fasted for the Third World
Anyone who has participated will confirm how easy it is to raise money, because very few people are hard-hearted enough to deny Third World citizens the money they need to survive.
There are the Scrooge-like exceptions - and it is an embarrassment to say that our cash-rich Government is the most culpable exception of all.
Junior Minister Conor Lenihan announced recently that the Government intends to abandon its commitment to spending 0.7% of our national wealth on aid to the poorest countries.
As Trocaire’s Justin Kilcullen asks, “how rich do we need to become before we keep our promise to the world’s poorest people?”
At the UN summit in Johannesburg in 2002, Bertie Ahern denounced the failure of rich states to reach the 0.7% target as “shameful” and “indefensible”. That is exactly what it is. It is also an insult to the children and adults who fasted this week.
And while it may not be enough to make us ashamed to be Irish - we commendably embrace the Concern fast and other Third World initiatives each year - it should certainly make us ashamed of our Government.
Seamus Lynch
Seaview
Portrane
Co Dublin
