By Insider Publications
Africa NewsAugust 13, 2002
The attainment of multiparty democracy in African countries has seen the birth of many non governmental organisations.
Some of these are local branches of European or American NGOs, others have been established as indigenously African but are partners to European or American NGOs; and others are community-based NGOs created by people for their own benefit. Ideally, NGOs are expected to be part of the national system of a country's development administration and take a partnership role with government. However, the way some of these NGOs are operating are in paradox with people's expectations. Most NGOs seem to have become mirrors of the European or American NGOs and have a dependency syndrome that makes them serve the interests of the parent NGOs that are sometimes antithetical to our national ethos.
Foreign NGOs are founded on, and driven by, the imperatives of Christian morality, justice and charity. On the other hand, African NGOs are a product of different forces and values from their European or American counterparts. They tend to be expressions of self interest and mutual self-help based on reciprocity as a dominant social value.
Malawi under the dynamic leadership of President Bakili Muluzi is a shining example in Africa of a nation which has allowed the proliferation of NGOs. As a matter of fact President Muluzi has encouraged the formation of NGOs so that they can help in the development of our country.
On several occassions the State President has repeatedly said that as a head of state who believes in particiaptory democracy he would like to see the civil society and organisations taking an active role in complementing government's development efforts and poverty reduction programmes.
Nonetheless investigations indicate that in Malawi, for instance, some non-governmental organizations seem to have forgotten their roles and are actively involved in active politics. Some have even become more involved in politics as politicians than dealing with advocacy and awareness.
Officials of some NGOs are openly working with leaders of opposition parties to frustrate government development efforts by among other things calling for strikes and demonstrations.
The just-ended Open Term Bill debate and recent political developments have shown how some executive directors and chairpersons of NGOs have forgotten their role and turned to active politics in an effort to attract foreign financial support. Such NGOs poke their nose into politics under the disguise of safeguarding democracy and promoting the rule of law.
The executive director of the Women in Law in Southern Africa (WILSA), a non partisan NGO which is heavily sponsored by many Western nations and donor agencies is one such example. The director has now joined active politics by becoming the vice president of the newly formed Mafunde Party.
This raises the question of how she can be non-partisan and work in partnership with the government of the day without any political prejudice and bias.
Another NGO official, who is also actively involved in politics is Shyley Khondowe who fled Malawi after allegedly misappropriating funds for the Malawi Institute for Democratic and Economic Affairs. Khondowe is fundraising for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in South Africa after being promised a ministerial position in case NDA accidentally gets into power. There is also strong evidence that CILIC is secretly working with the opposition.
It is surprising that donors especially those from Western nations continue to fund NGOs whose top agenda is to destabilize the developmental operations of government. Why do the donors not ask such NGO officials that are also politicians not to resign from their positions? Should one think that it is also the agenda of the foreign financiers to destabilize a country that is already democratic and is a model of peace and stability in the Southern African Region and the African Continent?
We are aware that because of such agendas and perspectives by the local and foreign NGOs there is always a likelihood of uneasy relationship between government and them. We are not surprised that some of them are reluctant to register for the government to know their agendas and work with them as partners. They are asking for NGO autonomy, which is in conflict to balanced and equitable development policy. Certainly even NGOs that have the watchdog function still require checks and balances.
We are also mindful that the interference of NGOs in political affairs is not only unique to Malawi but to many African nations. In Zimbabwe for instance, the land question, which had been the driving force for most of these struggles, remained unresolved amidst heavy interferences from NGOs.
When NGOs are operating in developing countries, it is imperative that they observe the law of the land. They must also accept to work in partnership with the government without creating suspicion but promoting trust. Oftentimes they are some NGOs that fail to be accountable to their donors and in the final analysis the image that is tainted is that of government.
More Information on NGOs
More Information on Credibility and Legitimacy of NGOs
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