Civil society and Pakatan governments
When PR took over state governments in Selangor and other states, civil society had to re-evaluate. At the same time, civil society would have to consider what kind of distance it would want to maintain with politicians they personally knew before. This was first published in the Penang Monthly issue of March 2012.
Civil society and Pakatan governments
Civil society plays an essential role in ensuring that governments deliver on their public commitments and do so in a transparent and accountable manner. However, the relationship between NGOs, governments and opposition parties is always a complicated one.
Interestingly, many individuals from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) made the decision to join (then) opposition parties and contest in the 12th General Election. Following the Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) coalition’s win in several state governments, these former civil society representatives are today elected representatives serving at the parliamentary, state or local council level, or have been absorbed into the political or state government system as aides and in numerous other roles.
This raises several questions. First, how did civil society fill in the gap left behind after these individuals chose to leave activism or advocacy to move directly into political or government positions? Second, what change in the role of civil society has there been? One school of thought argues that civil society should maintain a very clear distance from government or politics, whilst another argues that some relationship is necessary in order for effective programmes of shared interest to be carried out.
The balance that needs to be struck between maintaining clear boundary lines and interacting with the appropriate people within, for example, the state governments of Penang and Selangor, is one that is explored in this piece, especially given a context in which civil society itself would already be well-acquainted with former activists in government. Elizabeth Wong, state assemblyperson of Bukit Lanjan in Selangor, is a good example of a former human rights activist (Suara Rakyat Malaysia or Suaram) turned politician, whose relationship with existing Klang Valley NGOs is still strong.
Civil society groups within the two states of Penang and Selangor have chosen to take similar but also varying paths to address this issue. In Penang, the Penang Forum which was formed just before March 8, 2008, but was only truly activated after the Pakatan takeover, has a clear raison d’etre. This coalition of “progressive public-interest” civil society groups aims to “promote participatory local democracy, sustainable planning and development, economic justice, affordable housing, environmental consciousness and heritage conservation.” The 15 groups listed on its website (www.penangforum.com) meet regularly, and have had an impressive track record over the past four years holding conferences and roundtable discussions.
Penang is historically known for its flourishing civil society, and it is also clear that under the new Pakatan state government, the groups took it upon themselves to continue this trend more concertedly. As such, four Penang Forums have been held, during which important state issues were raised, including that of sustainable development, good governance, environment and federalism. It is understood that specific working groups have been formed to date, such as on healthcare, environmental issues, arts, women, transport, heritage, labour, local government elections, persons with disabilities, youth, and poverty and security. The Penang Forum also meets with the Penang state government – no less than the Chief Minister himself – regularly to raise issues and air grouses.
In Selangor, a similar coalition of civil society groups was formed shortly after March 2008 for the same reason of ensuring that NGO concerns were maintained and consolidated. A Coalition for Good Governance (CGG) was formed, which consists of 49 civil society groups, also organised into different working groups on Freedom of Information (FOI), local government elections, ombudsman and so on. Another thematic focus has been citizenship education, where the CGG worked with resident associations, conducting community workshops to raise awareness on local participatory decision-making, and conducting and distributing short videos on citizens’ roles and rights. The CGG has a rotating secretariat, where formerly Empower helmed the position, before passing it on to Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD). Pusat Komas will soon take over this responsibility.
It is interesting to note that the CGG approach differs slightly from that of the Penang Forum. In the former’s case, representatives of working groups would sit in as members of a Selangor government joint committee to push a certain agenda. For example, CGG members were part of the Selangor taskforce formed to draft the FOI Bill that would later be debated and passed into law. (The FOI Act has already been passed in Selangor, the first such piece of legislation in the country.) The CGG similarly requests for regular meetings with the Selangor state government and its Menteri Besar to discuss pressing matters.
One key issue that both the Penang Forum and the CGG in Selangor have raised consistently throughout the last four years is that of local government elections. The Selangor government commissioned the CGG to prepare a paper on the subject, particularly the legal and administrative options available to the state. Following this, the process was to allow the state government to work with the CGG on a work plan, carving out building blocks that would allow local elections – or at least pilot elections – to take place.
In fact, the subject of local government itself is quite central to the relationship between the state government and civil society – as can be seen in the appointment in both Pakatan states of civil society representatives as councillors. Their election manifesto, for example, has as one of its promises to allocate 30% of all local councillor seats to NGO candidates.
The Penang Forum has organised itself well enough to hold an election to determine one civil society representative each to serve in the two councils, the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) and Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP). These elected names are then submitted to the state government for consideration as councillors.
In Selangor, a controversy arose in 2010 when the NGO quota of 30% was filled with some candidates who were simultaneously party members or professionals close to the Pakatan political parties. This resulted in the formation of the Coalition of NGOs and Professional Appointed Councillors (Conpac), a loose body made up of all civil society and professional councillors within the 12 local councils in Selangor. It functions as a support network and as a co-ordination mechanism.
In reality, Conpac sees itself as a “power block” against the political blocks that civil society councillors experience coming from the political parties. Unlike Penang Forum’s more systematic way of nominating civil society representatives through a formal election, Conpac sources for reputable NGO members and the final names agreed upon are based on a consensus within its steering committee, which are thereafter similarly submitted to the Selangor government for consideration. A second sub-issue is that of development and the urban planning process, where civil society councillors (and NGOs in general) in both states consistently feel the need to mitigate property and commercial development which they feel have compromised on good quality of city living.
Just how much distance should civil society maintain from politicians and government? This issue was also broached at the national level, when Bersih 2.0 (an independent civil society-led movement) allowed Pakatan politicians to be present at its press conference. Is civil society compromised when it works too closely with the very governments they are to scrutinise?
A fine balance has to be struck here, and each circumstance would require its own examination and analysis. In order for real effective reforms to take place, working with governments is necessary. However, if after numerous attempts it becomes impossible to nurture such a relationship, or if civil society views that the particular government or political party is not genuine about its reforms, then such a relationship would have to be re-evaluated.
Finally, despite cultivating close interactions with governments or political parties able to institute change, civil society groups understand that their responsibility is to continuously keep governments on their toes. Transparency International Malaysia, for example, works closely with numerous government agencies both at the state and national level to implement its Integrity Pacts (IPs), but does not hesitate to release scathing public statements that criticise the federal government for corrupt practices. The same should be carried out in Pakatan states, where civil society should be empowered to do both: working to achieve a reform target, but at the same time maintain a healthy distance that allows it to have a critical and objective view of issues.