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dam-l NGOs reply to WBank letter on corruption/LS

The following letter was sent to the Washington Post on Sept. 15 in
response to the World Bank letter of Sept. 13 (which was sent to listserv).


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In their Sept. 13 letter regarding corruption allegations in the Lesotho
Highlands Water Project (LHWP), Callisto E. Madavo and Jean-Louis Sarbib of
the World Bank claim they are "determined to help African countries fight
corruption".  We, as members of non-governmental organizations in Lesotho,
appreciate this sentiment.  We are troubled, however, by their failure to
promise World Bank sanctions against the 12 multi-national corporations
when it is proved that they bribed the former chief executive of the LHWP.
What better way is there to "fight corruption" than to punish the big
companies that tempt us "poor" Africans with big bribes?

Madavo and Sarbib also claim that the LHWP is "helping poor communities in
Lesotho through a social fund" set up with LHWP revenues.  Unfortunately,
this is not our perception here on the ground.  The fund has been and
continues to be a tool of opportunistic politicians.  Although the
committee designated to select projects to be supported by the social fund
has not met even once yet, money from the fund has been used to support
ill-conceived projects built by workers hired according to political party
affiliation.  In Lesotho, we see the same stretch of road repaired; torn up
the next week; repaired again the following week; and then torn up once
more at the end of the month.  We see workers increase the height of unused
dams, and then cut spillways in them that effectively reduce their carrying
capacities to their original levels.  These projects are supported by the
LHWP's social fund.  Is this how large development projects "serve the
poor"?

We do support the LHWP, but we are beginning to question the "openness and
care with which it was prepared." Punishing the corrupt multi-nationals
involved with the LHWP and closely monitoring the implementation of the
project's social fund would reassure us of the World Bank's concern.  Mr.
Madavo and Mr. Sarbib, if you want to serve the "poor", help us to
challenge the existing power and economic relations that keep us "poor".

Motseoa Senyane
Transformation Resource Centre
Maseru, LESOTHO

Thabang Kholumo
Highlands Church Solidarity and Action Centre
Maseru, LESOTHO


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      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
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