Reaching out to NGOs

Ah yes, it’s been a year now that Prime Minister Najib said he’d like to reach out to NGOs. I suppose his idea of doing that was to get the cops to chase NGO representatives down the street during the following Bersih 3.0 rally in April that year. This was first published in theSun on 9th March 2012.

Reaching out to NGOs

After almost two years of constant political punditry on when exactly the 13th General Election will be held – this constant moving target – it seems that the Prime Minister himself has upped the ante this past week. After having announced a slew of government goodies the last few months, he has moved on to a new segment to woo and win over: the “NGOs”, in his words.

It’s true; in a recent speech over the weekend, he called for a “smart partnership” between the government and non-governmental organisations, saying that they have taken a leading role in voicing out the concerns of the community, and that government should accept this reality. All well and good, but just what kind of strategic partnership is it that will follow? And how is the NGO community to respond to this sudden invitation of partnership, given past treatment that has not exactly been warm and fuzzy?

At the outset, it is probably a good move that NGOs are being considered as a significant voice, a separate and independent pillar altogether that can contribute positively to national development. However, many issues still exist that will surely make this announcement sound too good to be true. In short, can this call be taken seriously, or is it yet another way of polishing the right shoes before an important event is due to take place.

First, the sort of NGOs that the Prime Minister refers to are in all probability non-threatening groups that engage in government-approved activities. Such societies bring good to communities, by all means, and should be supported. These are the likes of humanitarian NGOs involved in charitable care, health, livelihood.

But does he refer to, and would he be willing to support, other civil society organisations, those that work hard on issues such as civil and political rights, the environment and economic justice?

On the previous weekend, for example, the “Save Malaysia Stop Lynas” campaign gathered for a rally protesting the setting up of a rare earth plant in Kuantan. Although the police acted fairly to ensure the rally was run smoothly – and this is lauded – till today, the government has not visibly engaged these activists in a serious response to the community’s concerns with complete figures, facts and solutions.

Second, and on a related point, the NGO landscape in Malaysia is not generic, as one might find whilst navigating the variety of organisations that exist. For example, you have groups with polar opposite demands, such as conservative ethnic-based societies that call for preservation of their race (and theirs alone) versus groups that consider ethnicity a farce and therefore prefer to identify themselves as citizens of the country.

The current government would not have an easy time deciding which to favour. Unless, of course, it is able to take a moral stand and make decisions based on a consistent principle that is applied across the board. Consistency is important when reaching out to NGOs – you can’t in one breath say that an organisation is illegal and then immediately after form a parliamentary select committee that pushes for reform in the exact area this organisation was lobbying after (hint: yellow).

Third, the very makeup of NGOs and civil society organisations dictates that they are fiercely independent in nature. This is in contrast to, for example, NGOs whose programmes are fully funded by the government. NGOs that eventually become financially beholden to these donors should not really be classified as “non-government”, should they? Woe betide a patronising government, and worse, one that fails to live up to expectations that are being set.

Numerous conferences, roundtable discussions and forums – both private and public – have for the past decades been organised by NGOs and other independent groups, resulting in recommendations and reports. Countless statements and resolutions have been forwarded to the government for their follow-up.

Whilst understandably, not all can be implemented, there is great value within these sessions’ output that have not really been taken seriously. Several years ago, for example, the Merdeka Statement produced by the Centre for Public Policy Studies – where I was attached to – which contained key recommendations that Malaysia would need as a country moving forward, was rubbished as racist. New statements and policy documents have emerged since from many other stakeholders, and it is hoped the government will now diligently peruse these to seek out constructive demands.

Finally, organisations must be dealt with on an intellectual level. Although the term NGO itself conjures up images of tree-hugging, rah-rah types, in reality civil society is likely represented by a whole spectrum of individuals including activists, but also professionals, academics and the like. So when government offers to work with NGOs, it must do so as equal partners and be willing to provide rational and level-headed responses. These organisations should not at the end of the day feel used for political reasons.

Of course, ultimately, everything revolves around the elections and politics will be an ever-present constant in our lives. With this in mind, one hopes that this “strategic partnership” between government and NGOs will be to the eventual benefit of our communities. More importantly perhaps, that this engagement is not merely lip service for politically expedient reasons, but instead an effort that reflects a serious and sincere approach in dealing with a maturing democracy – one that extends beyond the election circus of the day.

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