CLASSIFIED | POLITICS | TERRORISM | OPINION | VIEWS

NGOs - Insidious International Networks that Disturb Global Governance

Shenali Waduge

After three and a half decade of Nation State systems a group of self-appointed "watchdogs" better known as NGOs are challenging the status quo? Who are these NGOs? How do they function? Who funds them?

Are they transparent? To whom are they accountable? Do they have any legal right to question & issue ultimatums to democratically elected Governments? Are they really free of the corruption, mismanagement they accuse others of? Can anyone dare to contest them, query their work & demand why they wish to break down age-old cultures, traditions & territorial boundaries? These are perhaps some of the questions that emerge no sooner the topic of NGOs enters discussion & debate. Thus, these NGOs break the rules of non-intervention, established by the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and blur the lines between domestic and international affairs. They take advantage of the porous nature of the geographic and national borders and challenge state sovereignty. Are we exaggerating the argument? The British East India Company immediately emerges as perhaps a possible forerunner to what these NGOs have in mind! Obviously traditionalists are in contention with the modern system of governance that is being espoused through the NGO league!

With two major world wars over, end of communism, spread of "democracy"in poor nations, changes to technology, economic integration in short the advent of Globalization has brought with it a host of worries & problems, most of which have provided fertile reasons for NGOs to stake their claim as better suited to offer solutions through their experience & efficiency. Influential Governments have been influenced & have opted to choose NGOs to channel aid & funds why should we be surprised when these NGOs in turn begin to dictate terms to national governments & have of late even demanded greater prominence at UN negotiations & even in the General Assembly. The place they have berthed for themselves in developing countries is in deed a case in point. Today, many of the development assistance is being channeled through NGOs, & a few would say that they do in fact deliver services that faltering governments could no longer manage but then the nature of their "services" have also become questionable.

Yet, functioning as charities, businesses, Churches, proxy trade unions, member-based groups (Amnesty International), huge profit making organizations.....it does make one wonder exactly how accountable they really are. Not helping matters has been governments themselves especially those of the developing nations who give enough & more reasons for these NGOs to stand supreme over them. It is an easy endeavor to tag governments as "corrupt", "inefficient", "ruthless', discriminating etc & draw picturesque examples via international media channels as proof yet it is not so easy to do the same regarding a particular NGO or NGOs for their lack of credibility. This is what makes the difference in the two entities. The binding element still for all remains where nation states are concerned especially those that are elected democratically into governance but where NGOs are concerned their "meritorious" claims to society & its betterment cannot be questioned & vilified at international levels. What makes NGOs immune from a lot of the problems plaguing governments under the influence of globalization of financial markets are some of the very virtues that NGOs are excluded from. Being a global actor, they do not face any of the problems that countries have to deal with while taking care of their citizens.

No longer are NGOs mere institutions of the state, by the state & for the state. They have emerged global players, creating global constituencies, directly connecting with people & obviously ending up undermining a states hitherto preserved credibility. Once again we see a jolt to Westphalian world order no sooner these NGOs begin to collaborate with regimes, terrorist groups or even in sensitive issues like human rights, refugees, arms control, democracy etc. thus sparkling the "interference factor" into debate where NGOs are seen to meddle in the affairs of internal crisis. This is evidenced in international financial institutions that are also seen to interfere in domestic affairs of countries attaching stringent conditions for loans & tying these loans to the concerns they have regarding a government's policy on environment, human rights, military spending etc. thus we can see how governments of developing nations are being diminished by policy makers like the World Bank, IMF etc who have preferred to forge alliances with NGOs.

In this context we can picture how 35,000 international NGOs with backing of international world bodies can create misery to developing nations. They are financially sound, efficient & have enough expertise to force their gameplan upon smaller & weaker nations.

This does make scope for a possible dominance of non-state players that would essentially question traditional cultures, national boundaries, language, currency, political & emotional alliances of people belonging to over three & a half centuries of nation-state systems.

Arguably with so many non-state players performing "miracles' globally we wonder why "world peace" seems so aloof & why miseries faced by people even before the entry of NGOs still very much exist!

While calling for greater democracy of nation governments, the standards of some NGOs too come into question - the selection of their leaders, the processes by which their policies are determined, the financial contributors & how NGOs are answerable to the spending requirements stipulated by these contributors & what agendas do these contributors really espouse globally. Now we come to where doubts emerge as to the modus operandi of NGOs globally - many of these global "players" succeed by the financial & insightful expertise of a few influencers focused on realizing global goals irrespective of their outcomes long term or short term.

Do we witness a power shift arising? It apparently does raise more than a few eyebrows as to what the bigger picture of these global NGOS are actually up to - as powerful non-state actors their role can be assimilated to the manner in which the British East India Company managed to run the entire sub-continent during their reign of colonialism. It then becomes no surprise when the "neocolonialism" theme emerges no sooner certain NGOs begin to work outside of their mandate?
But then what exactly is their mandate? Thus we see rudiments of imperial commercialism, Christian evangelism tied to the workings of most NGOs - this would explain why many of the world's NGOs are actually Churches!

While Governments whatever their faults derived their legitimacy from their voters, corporations accountable to their shareholders to whom were NGOs accountable? Is it to the donors who support the work of NGOs, or to official aid agencies & Governments that channel aid through NGOs or should it be to the recipients of NGO assistance? Thus the accountability factor remains unanswered. How credible were their reports that they expressed the "real" voice of the people? From this stems the argument of NGO bias & questions the credibility of mission statements purely because they say they are working towards promoting "universal human rights" against "genocide" & "ethnic cleansing". The themes of humanitarian law & issues deriving therein have created very powerful groups like Amnesty International (membership of over one & a half million & an annual operating budget of $30million with projects in 140 countries), Human Rights Watch, the Ford Foundation, International Commission of Jurists, Christian Aid etc.

Sri Lanka's dilemma

The NGOs in Sri Lanka have received continued flak from intellectuals to ordinary common masses - reasons that have enough credibility & give vent to worthy arguments. It also depicts the degree to which most people are alert with regard to the intricate dealings of NGOs in Sri Lanka. There are even Governments who have worked tirelessly to provide respectability to the LTTE globally. Norway's role immediately comes to mind possibly because it too became independent from Sweden only in 1905 thus their obsession with the right to self-determination for nations - a concept formulated by them & being conveniently used by the LTTE. This will also explain why NGOs like the All Party Solidarity Group for Sri Lanka, Oslo Peace Research Center, Christian Michelsen Institute, World Christian Council of Churches, National Christian Council, National Peace Council, Bergoff Foundation, Center for Policy Alternatives are a few of the organizations set up to legitimize LTTE barbarism. LTTE stands a banned entity in India, US, UK, Europe & Canada, its annual "income" is estimated to be USD3million annually through extortion, scams, illegal dealings, human trafficking, etc. A large amount of money comes through forceful "contributions" to their "cause" while others are through shady dealings using front organizations (NGOs) that promote a front office "humanitarian cause" & its back office takes care of the procurement needs for arms & ammunition. Two front organizations so far have been banned internationally the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization by the US & the World Tamil Movement by Canada. UK has arrested a "few"
LTTE operatives but we can wait a desirable increase in these arrests for the LTTE has become a menace to cities of London with their terror & money laundering dealings.

It has been easy to use NGOs to carry out front campaigns for LTTE in Sri Lanka partly due to the inefficiencies of past & present Governments. Over the years they have created socially accepted & elite members that circle the diplomatic functions & society parties & who are able to vilify the terror movement as one which has legitimate rights to fight an armed struggle. To this group of "elite persons" the LTTE are mere "rebels". "Liberators" & christening them "terrorists" is abhorred.
So much so they refrain from even issuing statements no sooner the LTTE carries out their true to form attacks on civilians but emerge no sooner the armed forces take on targeted attacks on LTTE bases. Immediately we see the wire networks being contacted, statements issued portraying a completely different scenario to what has occurred - this is given unprecedented publicity over electronic channels since it meets the objectives of those agendas ....so we have unfortunately an alliance against a legitimate Government which is trying to protect its people from terrorism.

The ineffectiveness of Governments is a secondary matter. The emerging need of the nation is to be liberated of LTTE terrorism. It has been a cancer that has malignant entities in the form of these NGOs who feed its existence. The people of this nation do not have any of the problems that have been portrayed globally. We do have one problem & that is in the form of terrorism & it is this that needs to be nullified & all other matters can be dealt with thereafter.

However, the strength of the NGOs has risen in great proportions & it has become a somewhat invisible force - who they are, what they do, what they want to do are elusive to all of us. The local mouthpieces at work in Sri Lanka are mere stooges playing chorus for monetary advantage...everyone is not born or work to virtues & espouse moral integrity. Yet, the need of the hour for the sake of humanity is to deal with terrorism if that is the real agenda. Somehow, something seems missing in the jigsaw.

It repeatedly calls to mind the British East India Company & applauds the need for the country to be alert at all times.

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