Activists oppose controls on NGOs<\/p>\n
By Prasetyohadi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Several non-governmental organization (NGO)
\nactivists voiced their objections yesterday to a military
\nproposal that foreign aid destined for NGOs, especially those
\nwith \"problems\", should be regulated.<\/p>\n
Asmara Nababan, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana and Abdul Hakim
\nGaruda Nusantara, all prominent figures in the Indonesian NGO
\nmovement, said in separate interviews that the question of
\nforeign aid is an internal matter for each recipient NGO.<\/p>\n
\"They cannot do that,\" Asmara, secretary-general of the
\nInternational NGO Forum on Indonesian Development, told The
\nJakarta Post when asked to comment on the proposal.<\/p>\n
\"We're only accountable to the donors,\" said Nursyahbani,
\nexecutive director of the Legal Aid Foundation - Association of
\nIndonesian Women for Justice which receives grants from various
\nforeign organizations including the Ford Foundation.<\/p>\n
\"If the government gives us some money, we will also submit
\nour accountability report to it,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"If the government can have financial relations with other
\ngovernments, why should it prevent the public from having similar
\nrelations with their counterparts abroad?\" she asked.<\/p>\n
The idea to control foreign aid for NGOs was broached by Armed
\nForces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid
\nafter addressing the congress of MKGR, a social organization
\naffiliated to Golkar, in Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Friday.<\/p>\n
\"In the name of the national interest\", a clear set of
\nregulations on NGO funding is needed because Indonesia has had
\nproblems with some groups that receive money from overseas,
\nSyarwan said.<\/p>\n
\"We're not against foreign aid if it is used for the interests
\nof the nation and the country,\" he was quoted by Antara as
\nsaying. \"After all, the state also receives foreign aid,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
\"Foreign aid must be regulated and it should be used for the
\ngood of the people, the nation and the country. It should not be
\nused for anything that goes against national interest.\"<\/p>\n
Syarwan said that in general, the impact of NGOs has been
\npositive for Indonesia, because they have made beneficial
\ncontributions to national development.<\/p>\n
The number of \"problematic NGOs\" is small, and some of them
\nwere involved in the July 27 incident, he said, referring to the
\nbloody riot in Central Jakarta which, by official accounts, left
\nfour people dead.<\/p>\n
\"If we tolerate these few NGOs, their activities could be
\ndetrimental to the nation and the country. That's why we need to
\nregulate them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Antara report did not say whether Syarwan singled out any
\nparticular NGO as \"problematic.\"<\/p>\n
The government has said that the Democratic People's Party,
\nwhich is blamed for the July 27 riot, received funding from
\nabroad, including from Australian trade union organizations.<\/p>\n
The underlining principle of the work of any NGO should be
\n\"the love of the country,\" Syarwan said.<\/p>\n
\"That is the most important thing. From that principle will
\ncome various works and creations that will always take into
\naccount the national interest. If a person doesn't love his own
\ncountry, then he won't find it hard to do things that go against
\nthe national interest.<\/p>\n
\"There will be no guilt because there is no love,\" Syarwan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Asmara, Nursyahbani and Abdul Hakim were dismayed by Syarwan's
\nstatement, describing it as another example of a communication
\nbreakdown between NGOs and the authorities.<\/p>\n
Communications must be reestablished to eliminate such mutual
\nsuspicions, they said.<\/p>\n
Asmara said Syarwan did not spell out what he meant by
\n\"problematic NGOs\", and this was only sowing further suspicion.<\/p>\n
Abdul Hakim, executive director of the Institute for Research
\nPolicy and People's Advocacy, said that rather than making public
\naccusations, the authorities should take NGOs that are violating
\nregulations to court.<\/p>\n
Asmara recalled that there was a brief period when relations
\nbetween NGOs and the government were cordial, during Gen. (ret.)
\nRudini's tenure as home minister from 1988 to 1993.<\/p>\n
Relations started to go downhill when a new minister came in
\n1993, he said, referring to Moch. Yogie S.M.<\/p>\n
\"If Syarwan has any questions about NGOs, why didn't he come
\ndirectly to us?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
Nursyahbani said some NGOs have been accused of wrongdoings
\nbut they were never properly told what exactly they had done. \"If
\nwe have good communications, perhaps NGOs will know more about
\nwhat they could and could not do,\" she said.<\/p>\n
For the past few years, the government has been drafting a
\nregulation on NGOs activities, but the move has always met stiff
\nopposition from NGOs, which insisted that if they were to be
\nregulated, it must be by legislation, and not some presidential
\nor ministerial decrees. (16)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/activists-oppose-controls-on-ngos-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}