THIS is with reference to the article `Spending $200 billion` (June 27), which was really a misguided opinion by the former minister of health on Bill Gates and his `philanthropy` that has received plenty of flak from various quarters, like having a top-down bureaucratic approach, promotion of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), total lack of support of local and better solutions, and the man being a self-appointed know-all who imposes his own solutions to gain control and influence. Philanthropy outside of one`s own borders reinforces colonial structures and sets outside agendas.

The said article did not offer any analysis worth its name. It did not mention the power and influence that Gates has assumed in African states which in itself is disturbing because Africa suffers from the aid complex, European neocolonial parasitic controls, resource extraction and constant instability. Clearly, the writer, for whatever reason, just wanted to write an unqualified even if misplaced ode to the narcissistic Gates.

Gates` own country, the United States, needs money for the homeless, environment, healthcare reforms, etc. There are at least 770,000 homeless in the US, which is probably an undercount. It has a wide-ranging crisis; from health and education to poverty and infrastructure, with proliferation of guns, school shootings, and police brutality adding layers to the complexity of the crisis. Gates, the great `philanthropist` that he claims he is, can devote his attention to his own society.

In fact, he should, but does not.

Healthcare is not free in the US, and, without an insurance plan, one does not get any. Social media is littered with stories of how Americans crowdfund their own surgeries, healthcare, etc. We have also heard a lot of sob stories about howexpensive insulin shots are in the US for those without insurance. To write such a glowing tribute for private-island-owning Gates, who has made his fortune worth billions with monopolistic and ruthless business tactics, was so heavily, severely misplaced on so many counts. It was so misplaced, actually, that I at times wondered if it was written as a satire.

United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese recently named several American corporate giants that have aided Israel`s genocide in Gaza.

Microsoft has been named as a complicit in the genocide. An Al Jazeera report said that the American tech sector has enabled the collection, storage and governmental use of biometric data on Palestinians, and that Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon have grant Israel `virtually government-wide access to their cloud and AI technologies`, enhancing `its data processing and surveillance capacities`. Is this what truely well-meaning philanthropists do? Farzan a R asheed Islamabad