Issue No.587
Opinion
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23 -29 May 2002 Issue No.587 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Strengthening civil society
Parliament is expected to ratify new legislation governing the activities of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) soon, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs.
The Constitutional Court annulled similar legislation early last year on the grounds that it had not first been reviewed by the Shura Council. Such procedural problems must be avoided this time round. There must also be greater consultation with the NGOs themselves since they are the ones whose grassroots work will be affected by the law.
Over the past 10 years the number of NGOs in Egypt has grown significantly and there is certainly a need to organise their activities. Any legislation, though, must respect the right of citizens to organise and participate in public life.
NGOs, first and foremost, express the concerns of ordinary people: their activities cover a wide range of interests, from the environment and charitable institutions to human rights and women's empowerment.
While the new law should provide clear guidelines on the controversial issue of NGOs receiving foreign funding, whether from governments or international donor organisations, it should not seek to restrict their activities which are already sufficiently regulated by existing legislation. On the part of the NGOs, transparency must be the watchword, and all sources of funding made public.
In Egypt, as in the rest of the world, NGOs played a vital role in mobilising public protests against Israel's brutal reoccupation of the West Bank. Many commentators believe that it was this successful mobilisation of popular outrage that led the US to change from its initial, whole-hearted backing of Israeli actions and publicly ask Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to pull back his troops.
At a time when ruling and opposition parties in Egypt increasingly lament the lack of public participation in the political arena, one sure way of encouraging participation is to encourage the activities of NGOs. And this, it is hoped, will be the outcome of the new law. A securely ensconced civil society means a stronger nation.
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