Letters | 12 November 2011

• Democracy in Zambia
Sir: There are undoubtedly dubious countries in Africa but Daniel Kalder (‘Mr Blair goes to Kazakhstan’, 5 November) is wide of the mark in including Zambia among them. It may not be perfect but its record in terms of human rights and relative freedom from corruption is one of the best on the continent. Zambian presidents since independence have respected the will of the majority when their time was up. The recent election that led to a change of government is a shining example of the country’s political maturity, one which Mr Blair might usefully point to in his conversations with his more authoritarian clients.
Brian Neill
Edinburgh

 
 
• Supporting the diggers

Sir: My old friend Charles Moore (Notes, 5 November) has been misinformed. It is untrue that under this government DFID refuses to support projects in extractive industry. In fact, this is a key area of our work. To give just one good example, in Afghanistan we are supporting the Ministry of Mines to ensure mining revenues are a huge source of income.