I'm in the Wrong Business!

by Stewart Sloan

(March 02, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian) I have been involved in human rights work for almost six years now and face the age-old problem that many persons confront who make a commitment to this field of work -- my salary just barely meets my requirements.

My problem is not so acute. At my age and with my training I consider myself fortunate to be doing a job that I find satisfying and which allows me to at least feel that I am making a difference to the world. I have colleagues who could be making a medium to large fortune who are content to work in the same field, attempting and willing to make a difference to those around them. These people are lawyers and professionals who willingly accept salaries that are sometime a quarter of what they could be earning. These are the people I admire and am inspired by.

Then there are the people who head up non-profit INGOs that rely on donations from all and sundry to make ends meet. The donations go to the day to day operations of these NGOs, they pay the staff, probably along the same rates as my own, the rent and utilities and whopping great salaries of £ 132,490 to their chiefs!

The question that begs an answer is: do they tell their donors, the corporations, schools and individuals that their hierarchy is getting these salaries?

What I find incredibly hypocritical in all this is that the 'chief' concerned had a personal mandate to alleviate poverty. She certainly did not concern herself with the poverty prevalent in the third world, starvation deaths in India and other such matters when she happily pocketed not only her salary but also a £ 500,000 golden handshake which the NGO attempted to conceal from their supporters.

I have openly criticised the hypocrisy of the Sri Lankan President and his ministers who live in luxury while the poorest people of their land receive a pittance and virtually no help whatsoever from their social welfare systems, but I am not sure, in this instance, which is worse. At least Mahinda Rajapakse's hypocrisy is made public for all to see.

I am definitely in the wrong business.