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The nation must share post-war Iraq burden

`Providing foreign aid for sound reasons is one thing, spending the money wisely is another.'

It's time to think seriously about Taiwan's role in the Iraq conflict. While Washington continues to saber-rattling against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, other developed countries are standing in line to pay the bill -- a necessary political cost to reconstruct an American-style Iraq.

Taiwan is not absent from the list of donors, although none of the rich countries recognizes Taiwan's sovereignty. Besides moral obligation toward needy people in Iraq, aid to Iraq serves Taiwan's interests in two ways. First, it creates an opportunity for visibility in the international community and builds connections with rich countries.

Siding with Washington implies a tacit strategic and diplomatic partnership with the US, the sole security guard against possible Chinese attack on both the diplomatic and military fronts. It is understandable that Taipei will lend a helping hand to Iraq. The question is, how can Taiwan provide foreign aid wisely?

Providing foreign aid for sound reasons is one thing, spending the money wisely is another. Unfortunately, Taiwan focuses too much on the former while ignoring the latter. Last month an international conference was held in Tokyo to share the burden of rebuilding a democratic Afghanistan.

For obvious political reasons, Taiwan was the only donor not invited to attend the conference but still managed to pick up US$29 million of the bill -- a secret commitment that the government has never publicly conceded so far.

In light of Taiwan's own economic downturn, there has been skepticism about the way the money was spent. In addition, local media in Taiwan later disclosed that the government donated 100 Japanese-made Hino heavy trucks seconded from the army to the Afghanistan battle ground. This is an action that blurred the line between economic aid and military assistance.

Moreover, at the request of Washington, Taiwan commissioned a charter flight under the logo of China Airlines to fly Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai overseas on a clandestine trip.

Washington would never request its own civilian airlines to provide that sort of service, nor would American commercial carriers dare risk becoming a target of terrorism. Unfortunately, the news was leaked to the media in Taiwan to showcase the Taiwan-US alliance against terrorism.

So far, the government, whether its KMT or DPP, likes to keep the public in the dark when it comes to foreign aid. However, the Afghanistan case should serve as a wake-call for the tax payers who are entitled to the transparency and accountability of foreign aid.

On the other hand, while the lack of legal burden still exists, decision-makers from the president to officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have the moral and political obligations to come clean on the appropriation of foreign aid and its actual impact on recipient countries.

Afghanistan aid has proven that Taiwan has the heart to offer aid, but lacks the brains to utilize it successfully. Next time, Taipei had better think ahead and plan wisely before promising any grand aid projects.

Ernie Ko is currently a research fellow in Tokyo under the Long-Term Specialist Fellowship of Interchange Association in Japan.
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