Pee Kay
No Minister
Kerre Woodham’s article below highlights the absurdity of some of our foreign aid programme.
It is difficult to understand just how some of the $943.81 million of foreign aid monies are approved for spending.
Some of the recorded donations left me shaking my head.
The cloudy approval process for this $943.81 million foreign aid budget raises serious questions about fiscal accountability in our Foreign Affairs ministry. While maintaining an international reputation for good global citizenship is a diplomatic necessity, several of these recorded allocations defy rational justification.
It doesn’t need a forensic examination of exactly where and to whom these taxpayer funds were distributed to make you feel there is a worrying lack of oversight that demands greater government scrutiny.
The stark contrast between our deteriorating domestic social infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, and this huge overseas spending raises serious questions about financial priorities. Our hospitals suffer from leaking ceilings and critical resourcing deficits amidst a massive national debt crisis. Yet, the government continues to funnel nearly $1 billion into foreign aid budgets.
When you look at these allocations, it reveals that taxpayers are funding highly ideological programmes, such as $23,249,999.66 dedicated to the ASEAN: EmPower – Women for Climate-Resilient Societies.
We are subsidising international social engineering projects while failing to maintain basic domestic public services. This represents a troubling lack of oversight that demands immediate public scrutiny.
If you feel like giving your brain a whipping, you can have look at exactly where and to whom taxpayers’ money was dispensed – https://devdata.mfat.govt.nz/activities
This article was originally published by No Minister.
