Author: R Vaidyanathan
Publication: The New Indian Express
Date: January 13, 2010
URL: http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=U0znjVoqwfk=
First the elected lawmakers were involved
in governance, then it shifted to civil servants and from them the judiciary
took over governance of our country and now the NGOs are trying to take the
slot. Can jholawalas who are the self-proclaimed civil society be involved
in governance and if so, with what implications?
Two recent news reports carried briefly in
newspapers highlight some issues in this regard. One report is from Karnataka
and the other is from Chhattisgarh. One is regarding violence and the cutting
of trees in Mysore by the public after an accident in which a pedestrian,
knocked down by a speeding lorry, died. The report suggests that a - 'hit-and-run
accident that killed a Mysore City Corporation (MCC) employee on Saturday
(January 9) morning developed into mob hysteria, leading to the felling of
some 25 trees along Lalitha Mahal Palace Road where a road-widening project
has been stalled since June by the Tree Court following objections by environmentalists.
Local councillors P Deveron, Anantha, Vinita and Mahadevamma joined the dharna
and raised slogans in support of the road-widening, criticising environmentalists
opposing the project. Soon some people, armed with axes, began felling trees
on both the sides of the road near the Arch Gate'.
The Tree Court seems to have suspended the
felling of some 200 trees for the project. But recently more than four persons
have been killed in that stretch due to narrow roads. Environmentalists suggest
that heavy traffic should not be allowed on that road, but elected representatives
suggest that road widening is important.
The second report (from Chhattisgarh) is more
revealing about the role of NGOs in supporting disruptive and dangerous forces
like the Maoists. The report says that Medha Patkar and Sandeep Pandey and
other jholawalas were prevented by a large group of villagers in Dantewara
in Chhattisgarh when they attempted to go to a village to address what is
called a public hearing à la Maoist kangaroo courts. Of course Leftist
newspapers castigated the agitators for preventing democratic forces from
exercising their freedom as if the demonstrators did not have any freedom.
Also mentioned was the fact that the demonstrators were asking them to go
back since they are supporters of Maoists, and not tribals.
These jholawalas do not have any respect for
democratic institutions, and they have the fascination for dictatorships,
Naxalism and autocracy. They have not condemned unequivocally Naxalism/Maoism
other than some mumbo-jumbo on means and ends, etc. NGOs are only accountable
to themselves and hence cannot be held responsible for any act of omission
and commission of others.
Also the peculiar situation of the NBA leaders
like Dharmadhikari and Himanshu Thakkar - being on the International Advisory
Board of International Rivers, which gets huge grants (more than $1,00,000)
from organisations like the Ford Foundation, Tides Foundation and Blue Moon
fund - is never talked about since the sources and usage of funds received
by the NGOs are beyond the ambit of ordinary mortals. They thrive on propaganda
and even the Supreme Court expressed its displeasure as early as 1999 regarding
these NGOs in terms of their prevarication and obfuscation on the Narmada
issue.
NGOs have become the major non-state actors
in deciding about resource allocation, location of plants, starting or not
starting of projects and government spending. The single largest corrupt activity
of the central government called NREGA - unfortunately now named after Mahatma
Gandhi - wherein thousands of crores are transferred to contractors and middlemen
in the name of 'inclusive growth' is the brainchild of many of these NGOs.
Now they want to not only monitor it but also run the programme.
The crux of the issue is regarding governance.
Who runs the government? Is it the elected representatives aided by the executive
or is it the NGOs? If it is the latter then there are many questions regarding
their accountability and responsibility. Interestingly many of these NGOs
are not even 'non-government' as claimed by them since they get huge funds
from the government, Indian or foreign.
More than Rs 65,000 crore was received from
abroad during 1994 to 2007. Annual receipts have gone up from Rs 1,865 crore
in 1994 to Rs 12,290 crore in 2007. More interestingly around 50 per cent
of the associations do not file reports. These are those received from abroad
and millions more is generated locally. It is possible that some global corporations
may be financing some of them to prevent the setting up of plants by Indian
competitors.
We have entered a dangerous zone in our national
life wherein non-elected and unaccountable jholawalas are trying to hijack
the state apparatus supported by bleeding heart liberals (BHL's) in the print
and electronic media.
India, under the Constitution, should be run
by elected lawmakers assisted by bureaucrats. Lawmakers may be illiterate
or corrupt but that is the system we have decided to have, and that is the
system which should be strengthened and reformed. NGOs substantially funded
from unknown sources (many a times foreign) whose balance sheets are secret
will not facilitate the growth of our democracy. It will only result in public
exhibiting their anger at these forces as seen in Mysore and Dantewara. Sooner
the government reins in the NGOs by bringing them within the ambit of RTI
the better for the social cohesiveness and economic development.
Since they demand transparency from all and
sundry let them publicise their comprehensive audited balance sheets and sources
and uses of funds in their websites. They must be compelled to declare their
foreign sources of funds and other affiliations. Let the laws of the land
be made applicable to the self-proclaimed civil society activists.
- (The author is professor, Indian Institute
of Management-Bangalore. The views are personal and do not reflect that of
his organisation)
