Date : 03/07/2005 ALAN KOHLER: Well, good on Sir Bob Geldof for organising an excellent concert yesterday. It's on TV in Australia tonight. And especially for getting David Gilmour and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd back on stage together. But the real purpose of the Live Aid Concerts persuading the G8 nations to double aid to Africa, cancel its debts and open up trade, while well meaning and hard to argue with is in my view probably useless.
100,000 Africans own just under 1 trillion or $1,000 billion in wealth while 300 million of them live on less than a $1.50 a day. The problem with Africa is not a shortage of aid or resources or a lack of trade opportunities, but grand larceny. The continent is being openly looted by its elite. That's what's causing the poverty.
Kenya's 2005 budget, for example, allocates $15 million for a new fleet of Mercedes Benzs for the office of the president including a $1 million S500L for the President Kibaki himself. Kenyan MPs get a monthly fuel allowance for their Mercedes Benzs of more than $1,500 each. The average annual per capita income in Kenya is less than $500.
Three quarters of Swaziland's aid, according to Spectator Magazine goes on King Mswati's balls, his picnics, parties and cars. And when Britain increased aid to Malawi the government celebrated by buying 39 top of the lines S class Mercedes Benzs and so on.
All over Africa, the people are oppressed and robbed. More aid and debt cancellation will entrench the elite and while European America should definitely lower their trade barriers, that's not the problem with Africa. There's plenty of trade in food. Sir Bob tells us we should forget about the corruption thing, but in my opinion that's all the matters. The only way out of poverty is to have a functioning democracy with property rights and jail for thieves.
Alan Kohler says that while the Live 8 concerts are a noble idea, more aid and debt cancellation will entrench the elites. He says the only way out of poverty is to have a functioning democracy with property rights and jail for thieves.
