Fire the wolf!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Paul Wolfowitz is a man who has no professional qualifications nor international development experience, therefore I assume that Mr Bush appointed him because of his hawkish qualities, that he was the right man to arm twist and whip corrupt and undemocratic states into line...now two years later, not only has he failed to do that, he is in deep trouble for helping his Arab girlfriend(a Muslim Arab dating a hawkish jew...) get a promotion and a pay rise. People are calling for his resignation and that is what surprises me a lot. The guy has refused to act honorably and resign, instead apologizing for what he terms as a mistake...Its simple, Fire him.
He has damaged the credibility of the world's biggest donor institution that is at the forefront of fighting corruption in the 3rd world countries and he doesn't even realize the level of damage he has done. I first heard about world bank in the 90's from the discussions of my dad and his friends (whenever they gathered at our house to chew khat) discussing the effects of the aid freeze the world bank had imposed on the Moi government because of corruption...and i have grown into adulthood knowing very well that these is one institution that can be relied upon to bring about change in governance and accountability problems in Africa. When the very guy entrusted to bring about that change starts engaging in very opaque actions, he shouldn't even be asked to resign, he should be fired. I hope the world bank board will move fast and reclaim the credibility of the institution and the trust of its members, otherwise, no despot in the third world will listen when the bank talks about corruption.
4 comments:
Neither the institution (the World Bank) nor the man (Wolfowitz) has credibility the World Bank, IMF, and wolfowitz are the enemies of poor people in developing countries.
These institutions are built to exploit the poor so I don't see how firing him or replacing him with the next oxymoron will solve the bigger issue. Nevertheless, he needs to go if only to make a stand.
Although I like his attitude towards corruption in the third world, I'd rather see him impliment his message to his own life first before I'm completely on his side. What I can't believe is the fact that his little girlfriend makes more money than Candi Rice - how funny!
World Bank, IMF, UN...all of them are the most corrupt organizations in the world - only they can hide better than anyone else. Yet why am I still willing to work any of these organizations?
wasmaniac,
You said that Wolfowitz was the "the right man to arm twist and whip corrupt and undemocratic states into line." Egyptians have a proverb that says one who is denied (a quality) cannot teach it to others. America is corrupt & undemocratic, and guilty of an even bigger crime: installing and supporting these supposed rogue states.
Wolfowitz hasn't ruined the credibility of the World Bank with these allegations because it has none. It also lacks legitimacy and ethics not to mention its status as a tool for subjugating the third world and maintaining a steady source of natural resources.
The media is making a big fuss out of this air-filled, titillating nonsense about an Arab girlfriend. It is like charging a drunk who kills 10 people with littering. Bush and his cronies are falling out of favour quickly and will be replaced by the newer hawks very soon.