Super billionaires turn into prophets of justice - EDITORIAL

ext Monday September 5 is the International Day of Charity and the United Nation in a statement says charity contributes to the promotion of dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding  among people.  Poverty persists in all countries,  regardless of their economic, social and cultural situation, particularly in the developing world. In recognition of the role of charity in alleviating humanitarian crises and human  suffering within and among nations, as well as of the efforts of charitable organizations  and individuals, including the work of Mother Teresa, the  UN General assembly in a resolution designated September 5, the  anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, as the International Day of Charity.  Significantly, Mother Theresa widely respected as the saint of Kolkata’s gutters will be formally proclaimed as a Saint in a ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday.   
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, now in Sri Lanka, issued a statement pointing out that Mother Teresa who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work to overcome poverty gave the prize money of about 190,000 USD or Sri Lankan Rs. 27.6 million to some of the poorest people in India.  
According to Mr. Ban, at a time when the need for humanitarian assistance has never been higher and when there are more refugees and displaced people than at any time since the end of the Second World War, charities play an increasingly vital role in meeting human need.  
As recognized in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the resources, knowledge and ingenuity of philanthropic and volunteer organizations will be invaluable partners in implementing the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.   

Mr. Ban says UN development and humanitarian agencies also rely on public donations and the generosity of governments to continue their lifesaving work in response to development challenges, natural disasters, armed conflicts and other emergencies. To mark the International Day of Charity, the outgoing UN chief has called on people everywhere to volunteer and act charitably in the face of human suffering.   
While more than 60 million refugees struggle for survival without basic needs and those in the Syrian hellhole of Aleppo were reported this week to be eating grass, it is known that 62 of the world’s richest super billionaires own more wealth and resources than half the world’s population of about 3,500 million. The UN apparently is unable to do much to reduce this monstrous gap and break the structures of injustice, mainly because some of the richest countries have veto powers in the decision making Security Council.   
Thankfully, some of these super billionaires including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and world business magnate George Soros, like the famous Zacchaeus in the scriptures, are giving half their wealth to the poor.   

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched in 2000 has given billions of dollars to enhance healthcare, reduce extreme poverty, provide educational opportunities and access to information technology. It had an endowment of 44.3 billion USD as of December 31, 2014. “It’s fulfilling to ‘take From The Most Wealthy And Give To The Least Wealthy’,” says Bill Gates who is known to have donated about 35 billion USD to break the structures of injustice.   
George Soros who visited Sri Lanka recently to promote foreign investments and international trade is reported to have been transformed from a billionaire hedge fund manager to a socialist philanthropist. In one of the latest moves, while America’s political kingmakers inject their millions into high-profile presidential and congressional contests, Democratic mega-donor George Soros has directed his wealth into an under-the-radar 2016 campaign to advance one of the progressive movement’s core goals — reshaping the American justice system. The billionaire financier has channelled more than 3 million USD into seven local district-attorney campaigns in six states over the past year — a sum that exceeds the total spent on the 2016 presidential campaign by all but a handful of rival super-donors. The vision is restorative justice instead of retributive justice specially for the minorities and the impoverished people.  
We hope other super billionaires also will turn from the golden calf to be prophetic figures and crusaders in the mission to rebuild a just world with a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources.