Yudhoyono slams NGOs over Papua
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reprimanded on Friday nongovernmental organizations that have regularly criticized how the Indonesian Military (TNI) handles security in Papua, saying that they have implied that the law should not be enforced in the country’s two easternmost provinces.
“Papua is part of Indonesia. It doesn’t make sense that NGOs say things that imply that we can’t enforce the law in Papua,” he said at a TNI and National Police leaders meeting in Jakarta.
Yudhoyono said the military presence in Papua was not without justified.
“They are there because there is still an armed separatist movement, which we should be aware of,” he said, emphasizing that there was only a small military presence that did not conduct aggressive military operations.
The President stressed that the government was eager to improve welfare in Papua by implementing programs to accelerate Papua’s economic development.
“That is not just lip service — the average development expenditure per capita in Papua is the highest in the country,” Yudhoyono pointed out.
He added that he had conveyed the government’s policy on Papua to his counterparts across the globe as news regarding military activities in Papua had spread quickly to world leaders.
“Many have asked me about what happened in Papua. I should explain that the military presence in Papua is not without justification,” he said.
To respond to grievances from Papuans who deemed themselves unfairly treated by the central government, Yudhoyono set up in Sept. 20, last year, the government-sanctioned Presidential Unit for the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B).
Lt. Gen. Bambang Darmono, the commanding officer in Aceh from 2002 to 2005, was appointed the chief of the program.
Last week, the partnership for governance reform (Kemitraan) and the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) released a survey from 2011 that found that torture was commonly carried out by members of the police to extract information from suspects.
More than 205 respondents including suspects, police personnel, prosecutors, correctional officers, human rights activists, academics and local tribal chiefs, testified that torture was committed by police officers against suspects during arrests, investigations, detention and in jail.
Earlier, Vice President Boediono brushed aside fears of “foreign intervention” in the event of donor development funds being more accessible in Papua.
“Don’t seek ghosts in broad daylight,” Boediono said on Wednesday.
“The most important thing is for us to filter, be selective. Let’s not close ourselves off [unnecessarily],” he remarked.
He stressed that there were many donors — bilateral and multilateral – with good intentions in Papua.
He dismissed undue fears that countries like Australia and the United States had ulterior motives, referring to treaties and statements made by the two countries stating their support for Indonesia’s territorial integrity.
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Irby: Center participates in two-way cultural exchange
GORDONSVILLE --
Last summer the University of Virginia Center for Politics' Global Perspectives on Democracy program hosted 25 Afghan women from NGOs and high levels of the government from Afghanistan. This exchange, in partnership with Relief International and through the funding of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, provided classroom instruction and job-shadowing opportunities that focused on civic engagement, the rule of law and public administration. From Dec. 8-17, 2011, a delegation of four — Meg Heubeck from the U.Va. Center for Politics, Maury Brown from Germanna Community College, Joe Szakos of Virginia Organizing and I — traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, to witness the progress of the participants and meet with other members of the government and NGOs.
While in the United States, the delegates were tasked with formulating ideas on how they would use what they learned during the exchange as a catalyst for action upon return to Afghanistan. On the evening of the American delegation's arrival in Kabul, we reunited with the Afghan participants to learn about their project activities and personally reconnect. Each participant gave a report on the project activities since their return, which was truly inspirational. They told about training sessions and presentations they had hosted on topics such as individual rights, the importance of civic engagement, the rule of law and combating corruption, and about pamphlets they had created and distributed on the importance of women participating in society and knowing how to respond when their rights are violated. Everyone in attendance gave a stirring report.
Traveling around Kabul gave us a taste of some of the daily challenges that face those living in the city and, I suspect, across the country. Issues related to security are ever present. As one might expect, heavily armed Afghan police, military personnel and private security guards are a constant sight in Kabul. While we thankfully never witnessed any criminal or terrorist activity, these personnel are clearly there for a reason, and that weighs on the psyche of the people. It was a surprise for me that we saw extremely few foreign military personnel. The fact that Afghans are in charge of Kabul must be considered a success, though there is clearly much work to be done in other parts of the country. The treatment of women on almost all levels is one of the greatest challenges facing Afghanistan and will take many years to significantly change. Improving education and literacy (currently under 30 percent) must occur among all in the country, but especially women and girls. Transparency and the fight against corruption was a subject that regularly made its way into our discussions. Infrastructure and the environment are also areas of great need. The evening rush hour in Kabul leaves your eyes burning.
With all of these challenges considered, it appears that Afghanistan and its government are moving in the right direction. Citizens are hard-working and are doing their best to improve their condition, and the government seems to be doing a fair job of rebuilding its institutions. Afghanistan is not a nation on island time, and there is a lot more going on in this country than the flashpoints we hear about on the news.
Even though Afghanistan is far away from the U.S. in many ways, we need to remember that Afghans are similar to us in many ways. They love their families, are industrious, attend religious services or not, desire stability in their daily lives, and want to be free. There may be some who hate Americans, but the overwhelming majority do not. While they naturally look forward to full independence from foreign intervention, most appreciate the removal of the Taliban yoke.
One can learn only so much in a week, but I left Afghanistan with an increased level of awareness and understanding of Afghan government and civil institutions, life in Kabul, and where Afghans and the Center for Politics' past and future exchange participants are literally and figuratively coming from. There are so many challenges. Where will Afghanistan be in five, 10 or 20 years? Afghanistan's stability is our stability, and it is an honor to have had a small part in our nations' futures. Many, both military and civilian, from Afghanistan, the U.S. and other countries have done much more than I to help provide stability and rebuild this nation. Many families have made the ultimate sacrifice. Let us not lose sight of where we have come in the past 10 years and the progress that is being made. And it is being made.
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Nature Alert misleading the public on orangutans
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) together with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) would like to address the issues raised by Sean Whyte, CEO of Nature Alert in FMT on Jan 11, with regards to the news of orangutans being abused at Melaka Zoo.
The Ministry and the Department are highly concerned with the way Nature Alert is misleading the public by issuing pictures taken at certain angles that doesn’t depict the way orangutans managed by Zoo Melaka. The pictures were taken only to form a perception among the public that these orangutans are badly managed which is the ultimate objective of this UK based NGO.
It is important to note that anybody can take pictures of orangutans in their respective cages and claim that they are being abused because as it is a well known fact that pictures may tell a hundred stories but not the truth. The truth can only be discovered by conducting a thorough check with the respective zoo management about the issue and not by just producing pictures to mislead the public.
In this aspect, the Ministry has clarified the issue in a leading newspaper last week which can be found at this link http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/7/nation/10213526&sec=nation
In this regard, we also would like to reiterate that the government led by the Prime Minister pays utmost importance on transparency in handling all issues ranging from rakyat’s welfare to wildlife welfare. This government fully believes that with elements of transparency, openness and integrity, any issue can be resolved amicably.
With this kind of approaches in our way of doing things, we had extended our invitation to Mr Whyte for a visit to A Famosa Resort to view and analyse the newly built enclosures for orangutans but regrettably, Mr Whyte refused to accept our invitation.
The session was a success in gathering feedback, expert opinions and knowledge from all the NGOS present which showed their commitment in managing the wellbeing of our orangutans. Mr Whyte’s refusal to join the said group of NGOS to analyse, discuss or provide feedbacks in managing orangutans in our zoos clearly shows that Mr Whyte’s has a different priority.
As a Ministry responsible to safeguard the biodiversity in this country, we welcome feedback, criticism, opinions and so forth and this can be seen clearly with our involvement with NGOS in resolving issues related to wildlife. We have been working very closely with our NGOs in various fields and would expect the same from from Nature Alert.
Since orangutans are Malaysia’s natural heritage, the concern for the environment and welfare of the orangutans and other wildlife is not the monopoly of any party including Nature Alert. We are equally as concerned, if not more, hence, issues of orangutan welfare and management should not be an issue to be manipulated by any party.
Being the second oldest zoo in Malaysia, further improvement is needed to upgrade the existing facilities and this will be undertaken from time to time. These actions need thorough planning and executed accordingly in line with the new zoo guidelines to be enforced soon. Here, we would like to invite all our stakeholders to share their knowledge, experiences and feedbacks for better management of zoos in time to come.
The writer is Head of Corporate Communications, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE)
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Kashmir zealots push Christians into valley of fear
SRINAGAR: From the toast of Srinagar to a man with a question mark about his intentions, it's been quite a journey for Juan Marcos Troia, an Argentinian football coach and star of the documentary, 'Inshallah Football'.
In 2009, Marcos was credited with reviving football in Kashmir. 'Inshallah Football' is about one of Marcos's best players, Basharat, the son of a former militant, and his dream to play in Brazil. Though initially denied, Basharat got his passport and went to Brazil a few months ago. But there is no smile of satisfaction on Marcos's face. Much has changed since 2009.
Kashmir is in the grip of a controversy surrounding religious conversions by priests and foreign NGOs. Everyone, it seems, is under the scanner. Troia, who has been questioned by the state football association about the funding for his clubs, is now the target of a whisper campaign. Fundamentalists are ratcheting up religious mobilization.
His house vandalized, Marcos is now running around asking cops for help. "We have to fend for ourselves," says his dejected wife, Priscilla.
The controversy began when a video surfaced showing a pastor C M Khanna baptizing young Muslim boys. A Sharia court "summoned" Khanna and accused him of converting Muslims by luring them with money; a claim that the Christian Council of India denies. Khanna was arrested for disturbing communal peace. He is now on bail but the Sharia court ordered his "expulsion" from the state. Although this court has no legal sanctity, political parties have remained silent.
This has left the field open for further pressure on the 400-odd Christians in the Valley. The two missionary schools in Srinagar are now facing calls to include Islamic prayers as part of the curriculum and prove they do not promote Christianity.
The few foreign nationals who live here are harassed. "I got a call around midnight, and this man on the phone asked me how many Bibles I had, how my 'real motive' was known to him," said one foreigner.
Local converts are worse off. A few weeks ago, the mere rumour that a few boys in a Ganderbal village had converted led to a raids by five carloads of men led by a maulvi from a madrassa. Their homes were ransacked.
Adding to this climate was an article in Kashmir's leading English daily on Friday last. Titled 'Apostasy unveiled', the full page spread is an alleged first person account of one of the boys pastor Khanna had converted. The story of Class 10 student reads like a film script.
He was trapped by the pastor who used a girl to entice him to drink alcohol. Then blackmailed him with a video recording. The student is "progressively addicted to alcohol, women, money, drugs, and the promise of weapons".
At each stage, pastor Khanna's personal involvement is recorded. The highlight is this passage: "There were candles and an empty glass on the table. As the prayers went on, someone brought a jug full of red liquid and poured it into the glass. It was swine blood which we all had to drink. Khanna took some sips, then his daughter and I joined the others."
This is the most talked about news in Srinagar - on twitter and facebook, in living rooms and cafes. "One comes to know the extent to which these people will go to convert," read a facebook comment.
Even educated people this reporter spoke to believe sex, booze and money is the only reason why anyone would convert to Christianity. For the Christians here it's an indictment they shall have to learn to live with.
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Trust in Government Suffers a Severe Breakdown Across the Globe
Credibility of Governmental Officials and CEOs Experience Biggest Drops Ever, 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer Finds
NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Blame for the financial and political chaos of 2011 landed at the doorstep of government, as trust in that institution fell a record nine points to 43 percent globally, according to the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer. In seventeen of the 25 countries surveyed, government is now trusted by less than half to do what is right. In twelve, it trails business, media, and non-governmental organizations as the least trusted institution. France, Spain, Brazil, China, Russia, and Japan, as well as six other countries, saw government trust drop by more than ten points. Government officials are now the least credible spokespeople, with only 29 percent considering them credible. Nearly half of the general population -- the first time the Barometer looked at this broader group -- say they do not trust government leaders to tell the truth.
"Business is now better placed than government to lead the way out of the trust crisis," said Richard Edelman, president and CEO, Edelman. "But the balance must change so that business is seen both as a force for good and an engine for profit."
Although business experienced fewer and generally less severe declines in trust, it has its own hurdles to clear. Trust in business fell globally from 56 percent to 53 percent, with countries like France and Germany, in the heart of the Eurozone economic crisis, experiencing double-digit decreases. Lack of confidence in business spread to South Korea, where trust dropped 15 points. China was the only country to see a significant increase in trust in business, rising from 61 to 71 percent.
CEO credibility declined 12 points to 38 percent, its biggest drop in nine years. In South Korea and Japan, it dropped by 34 and 43 points, respectively.
In the midst of this systemic decline in trust, a "person like me" has re-emerged as one of the three most credible spokespeople, with the biggest increase in credibility since 2004, and now trails only academics and technical experts. Regular employees jumped from least credible spokesperson to tied for fourth on the list, with a 16-point record rise. Social-networking, micro-blogging, and content-sharing sites witnessed the most dramatic percentage increase as trusted sources of information about a company, rising by 88, 86, and 75 percent, respectively.
"This is further evidence of the dispersion of authority," said Mr. Edelman. "Smart businesses will talk to employees first, because citizens now trust one another more than they do established institutions."
The 2012 Trust Barometer reveals that the factors responsible for shaping current trust levels are less important than those that will build future trust. Consistent financial returns, innovative products and highly regarded senior leadership are the primary factors on which current trust levels lie. However, listening to customer feedback and putting customers ahead of profits are far more vital to building future trust.
"Our analysis shows that the operational factors driving present trust in business aren't enough to expand trust in the future," said Neal Flieger, chair, Strategy One, Edelman's research firm. "The path forward requires more of a focus on societal and employee-facing issues."
Although business is substantially more trusted than government, 49 percent of global respondents believe government does not regulate business enough. Nearly one-third want government to protect them from irresponsible business practices and one-quarter want regulation that will ensure responsible corporate behavior. "The interventions people are asking government to take are changes business can step up and implement on its own," said Mr. Edelman.
Once again, banks and financial services declined in trust, and were the two least trusted sectors with France, Spain, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea recording the most severe drops. Technology remained the most trusted sector globally.
Media, the one institution to see an increase, saw its global trust level rise above 50 percent. It experienced significant regional upticks in India (20 points), the U.S. (18 points), the UK (15 points) and Italy (12 points).
"As the media landscape dimensionalizes and delivers a wider range of options, it is becoming more trusted," said Alan VanderMolen, President and CEO, Global Practices and Diversified Insights Business, Edelman. "The media also did an exceptional job this past year of covering the financial problems throughout the EU."
In Japan, site of last March's earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, trust fell severely in three of the four institutions including government (down 26 points), media (12 points), and NGOs (21 points). That loss of trust extended to five industry sectors, including energy (down 46 points), media (21 points), banks (20 points) and financial services (17 points).
"The fragility of trust was never more evident than this past year in Japan, where the government's lack of leadership and the local utility's poor transparency revealed huge shortcomings in the command-and-control approach to communications," said Mr. Edelman.
Other key findings from the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer include:
The United States held steady across three major institutions, unlike last year when it posted significant declines in NGOs, media, business, and government.
Traditional media and online search engines are the most trusted sources of information for people searching for general news and information, new product information, news on an environmental crisis, and company announcements. Traditional media, TV, newspapers, and magazines are still the most trusted sources of information, according to the Barometer.
Among 18-29 year olds, digital media is the most popular source for general news and information.
With the exception of technology and automotive, South Korea experienced extraordinary drops in trust in every industry sector. Telecommunications, down 32 points to 39 percent, and financial services, down 25 points to 39 percent, endured the largest drops in trust.
Brazil saw the greatest drops in trust across all major institutions - government (53 points), NGOs (down 31 points), business (18 points), and media (12 points). At the time of last year's Trust Barometer, Brazil had just been awarded the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics and President Dilma Rousseff had just been elected. This year's declines represent a return to normalcy for businesses and the arrest of four government officials for corruption.
About the Edelman Trust Barometer The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm's 12th annual trust and credibility survey. The survey was produced by research firm StrategyOne and consisted of 20-minute online interviews conducted from October 10 - November 30, 2011. The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer online survey sampled 25,000 general population respondents with an oversample of 5,600 informed publics in two age groups (25-34 and 35-64) across 25 countries. All informed publics met the following criteria: college-educated; household income in the top quartile for their age in their country; read or watch business/news media at least several times a week; follow public policy issues in the news at least several times a week. For more information, visit http://www.edelman.com/trust or call 212.729.2166.
About Edelman Edelman is the world's largest independent public relations firm, with offices in 60 cities and 4,000 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more than 30 cities. Edelman was named Advertising Age's top-ranked PR firm of the decade and one of its "2010 A-List Agencies" and "2010 Best Places to Work;" PRWeek's "2011 Large PR Agency of the Year" and "2011 Large UK Consultancy of the Year;" European Excellence Awards' "2010 Agency of the Year;" Holmes Report's "2011 Global Agency of the Year," "Agency of the Decade," and "2009 Asia Pacific Consultancy of the Year;" and among Glassdoor's top five "2011 Best Places to Work." Edelman owns specialty firms Blue (advertising), StrategyOne (research), Ruth (integrated marketing), DJE Science (medical education/publishing and science communications), MATTER (sports, sponsorship, and entertainment), and Edelman Consulting. Visit http://www.edelman.com/ for more information.
CONTACT: Michael Bush 212.729.2181 michael.bush@edelman.com
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President slams NGOs commenting on Papua
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reprimanded on Friday nongovernmental organizations that often criticized how the Indonesian Military (TNI) handles security in Papua, saying that they implied that the law should not be enforced in the country’s easternmost island.
“Papua is part of Indonesia. It doesn’t make sense that NGOs say something that implies that we can’t enforce the law in Papua,” he said at the TNI and National Police leaders meeting in Jakarta.
SBY said the military presence in Papua was not without reason.
“They are there because there is still an armed separatist movement, which we should be aware of,” he said, emphasizing that there was only a small military presence that did not conduct aggressive military operations.
The President stressed that the government was eager to improve people’s welfare on the island by implementing programs to accelerate Papua’s economic development.
“That is not just lip service – the average development expenditure per capita in Papua is the highest in the country,” SBY pointed out.
He added that he had conveyed the government’s policy on Papua to his counterparts across the globe as news regarding military activities in Papua spread quickly to world leaders.
“Many have asked me about what happened in Papua. I should explain that the military presence in Papua was not without justification,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.
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India Digest: Tax Rulings Fixed, CJI Demands Government Action
Here is a roundup of news from Indian newspapers, news wires and websites on Monday, January 23, 2012. The Wall Street Journal has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
Tax Rulings Fixed, CJI Demands Government Action: Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia has asked the government to take “appropriate action” against at least 20 members of the country’s top income tax tribunal who are on the CBI’s radar for having allegedly ‘outsourced’ writing of judgments to private parties. (Source: Hindustan Times)
Kashmir Zealots Push Christians Into Valley of Fear: Kashmir is in the grip of a controversy surrounding religious conversions by priests and foreign NGOs. Everyone, it seems, is under the scanner. (Source: The Times of India)
Rly Panel for Linking Fares to Inflation, a One-Time Hike of 25%: A high-level committee on rail modernisation chaired by Sam Pitroda, advisor to the prime minister, has recommended that the Railways hike passenger fares one time by 25 per cent and index all fares to inflation to raise Rs 60,000 crore next year. (Source: The Indian Express)
Manmohan Betraying People: Team Anna: Spearheading its campaign to put the Lokpal Bill issue in the forefront as a poll issue, Team Anna on Sunday accused the four major parties in the fray in Uttar Pradesh of misleading the people on the issue and demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh come up with an altogether new, effective and strong Bill.
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The Attack on NGOs in Egypt
Eleven members of the United States Senate have written to Egypt’s head of government Field Marshal Tantawi to threaten a reduction of U.S. aid unless the NGOs raided on December 29 are permitted to reopen.
As I have written here previously, that’s the right stance for the United States to take. Three of the seventeen organizations raided were American and backed by U.S. Government funding: Freedom House, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute. Written materials and computers were also seized, and despite various promises nothing has been returned.
We may not be able to stop the Egyptian military and security forces from such actions but we surely don’t have to pay for it. They should be told there is now a freeze on our military aid until this situation is rectified.
Why is this so important? The answer lies not only in Egypt, whose possible transition to democracy is the target of such raids. It happens that Freedom House, NDI, and IRI work in dozens of countries around the globe that are not free: Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Burma, China, and Venezuela are examples. The rulers of those countries obviously do not appreciate the work they do to promote democracy, and the danger is that they will learn a lesson from Egypt. Today that lesson would be “we can throw these people out and seize their work materials with impunity. We’ll just get a few protests from the State Department. It’s an easy price to pay.” We need them to know that the price will be high, in foreign aid if they get any and in relations with the United States overall. We need them to conclude “it just isn’t worth the pain.” If Egypt can get away with this, others will inevitably try to follow.
That’s what those senators were trying to teach, and it is a lesson that the United States must instill. The work those NGOs do is central to our foreign policy and our position in the world, and we should not allow them to be harassed, intimidated, and ejected. Choosing between support for Field Marshal Tantawi and those American NGOs should be easy, and in any event they are canaries in the coal mine. The treatment they receive is an infallible signal of the sort of government that is in place, and should be a guide to our relations with the regime abusing them.
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NGOs probed over N-funds
An official team from the ministry of Union home affairs resumed its inspection Wednesday, after the Pongal holidays, of non-governmental organisations affiliated to the Thoothukudi Roman Catholic diocese.
The 2-member team of Mr Johinder Prasad, under secretary (audit), ministry of home affairs, and Mr Sujith Kumar Singh, that was said to have begun its auditing on January 10 on a complaint that foreign funding received by NGOs affiliated to the Thoothukudi Roman Catholic diocese misused the funds to instigate the anti-KKNPP movement, suspended its inspection for three days beginning January 15 in view of the Pongal festival.
The team also inspected the Thalamuthunagar refugee camp, near Thoothukudi, where the Thoothukudi multi-purpose social service society (TMSSS) of the diocese was doing welfare activities using foreign funds.
The prime minister’s office minister V. Naray-anasamy had recently stated that some of the NGOs in Thoothukudi were instigating the anti-KKNPP struggle using foreign funds.
He also warned that their FCRA registration would be cancelled. Reacting to this audit, Thoothukudi Roman Catholic bishop Yvon Ambroise said it was only a usual audit of the ministry.
He also threatened legal action against a section of the media that continues to publish false news to tarnish their image.
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NGOs vow to defy SCAF crackdown
CAIRO: Thirty-two rights groups condemned a raid on civil society organizations Thursday, promising to continue their work.
Security forces and prosecutors raided 17 offices of rights groups and organizations on Thursday, including the offices of three US-funded groups promoting democracy, following official announcements about an investigation into illegal foreign funding.
“This serious step marks the beginning of a security campaign that is expected to affect dozens of advocacy groups,” the 32 groups, which include the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance, the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services and the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, said in a statement.
The raid “is part of a broader campaign launched by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to smear and stigmatize all rights activists and numerous forces involved in the January 25 revolution,” they added.
The charges for which the offices were raided and their equipment confiscated haven’t been officially announced. It’s believed to be part of the government investigation of the funding of civil society organizations.
Minister of Justice Adel Abdel Hameed said in a press conference earlier this month that investigations into illegal foreign funding were based on the results of a probe conducted by a fact-finding committee affiliated to the Ministry of Justice.
"The probe examined the legality of the work of 300 NGOs and the direct foreign funding they received from foreign countries and organizations," the minister said.
"The investigations revealed that a number of Egyptian and foreign organizations received foreign funding and worked illegally inside Egypt. Investigations are ongoing as other state monitoring institutions are compiling reports about these organizations," he added.
“They are trying to defame us but this is a [small] battle, said Ahmed Seif, founder of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, one of the signatories. “The bigger battle is to continue our work, because all the victims have faith in us. So the question should be how we are going to protect our country by protecting the files in our offices.”
Armed special forces along with police officers and prosecutors raided the offices of the International Republican Institute (IRI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Freedom House, all Washington-based organizations, as well as Germany’s Konrad Adenauer foundation and 13 Egyptian NGOs including the Egyptian Arab Center for the Independence of Judiciary (ACIJ) and Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory (BHRO).
Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network Human Rights Information, one of the signatories, said, “I asked the public prosecutor what are the special forces doing here, they told me it’s their right. We are ruled by a tyrannical regime.”
The United States, Germany and the United Nations have condemned the raids.
The 32 Egyptian groups, which held a joint press conference Thursday hours after the raids, said they were still discussing how to respond.
“We are studying our options. We could organize a protest or a sit-in. We are still figuring out our way but we will not stop,” Seif said.
Nasser Amin, head of the ACIJ, stressed that the organization would work with or without offices and even if its members were behind bars. He however lamented the timing.
“We were expecting this to happen but before Jan.25 [the uprising the toppled president Hosni Mubarak], not after,” he said.
In the statement the groups said, “The SCAF proves not only its hostility to the fundamental goals of the Egyptian revolution and the sacrifices of its martyrs, but demonstrates its deeply held desire to settle accounts with political and advocacy groups that played a prominent role in ushering in the revolution or during the uprising itself.”
They said SCAF is reproducing Mubarak’s authoritarian methods “in an even uglier, more dangerous form.”
The Egyptian Social Democratic Party strongly condemned Friday the raids on NGOs.
"The ESD calls on all revolutionary and political forces to join a march in front of the Prosecutor General's office to condemn current raids by prosecutors and Commandos forces against NGOs," ESD said in a statement Friday.
Other voices, however, were not as critical.
Mahmoud Ghozlan, spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood, told Daily
News Egypt that the work of rights groups is appreciated and the rights of association, expression and organization are constitutional rights, but all should work in accordance with the law.
"These organizations should have patriotic agendas, their sources of funding should be revealed and monitored, and they should be working legally," Ghozlan said, quoting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she said $40 million will be given for NGOs to support democracy.
"US money was injected in the country right after the revolution with claims to support democracy, but this money should be monitored and state institution must make sure that this money is spent legally," he said.
Ghozlan said that all should respect the law, and as long as the judiciary is working on monitoring this process, the rule of law should be respected.
The groups’ representatives at the press conference said the campaign aims to repress the right to speak up in Egypt.
“Why are we a target? Maybe because we have been monitoring the military’s budget?” asked Helmy Rawy, head of BHRO.
“We won’t stop, we will unite with April 6, Revolutionary Socialists, Ultras, and whoever is ready to resist those who are working on countering the revolution,” said Hafez Abou Saeda, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, one of the signatories.
Hafez described as illegal the act of confiscating properties and paperwork without registration. This, he explained, would allow the government to add to the list material not take from the raided offices.
In late October, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation revealed that 12 Egyptian NGOs had received $5.8 million, while 14 US NGOs operating in Egypt had received $47.8 million illegally, according to reports.
At that time, Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Aboul Naga slammed the funding of NGOs that were not registered with the ministry or whose funding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not oversee.
“It is not enough for the [US embassy] to notify the Egyptian government if the NGOs were given funds and this does not justify the continuation of their activities, which must cease immediately,” said Aboul Naga, adding that Egypt does not reject foreign funds to NGOs as long as they are processed within the agreed upon legal framework.
Law 84/2002 requires NGOs to get approval from the Ministry of Social Solidarity before they can receive foreign funds. The ministry could block funding for several reasons in which employees of the organizations face imprisonment and a fine if convicted.
Aboul Naga has previously specified that these funds should only go towards development projects and that funding for political organizations, whether civil society or political parties, is completely illegal.
“The military chiefs now ruling Egypt, has no intention of permitting the establishment of genuine democracy and is attempting to scapegoat civil society for its own abysmal failure to manage Egypt’s transition effectively,” David J. Kramer, president of Freedom House, wrote in a press statement.
NGOs representatives say they expect more raids by security forces to take place these days. –Additional reporting by Mai Shams El-Din.
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NGO crackdown: Frontline of the ongoing revolution
Operating as a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) in Egypt is no mean feat. Aside from the fear of further crackdowns following last week’s raids and what civil society groups are calling a government-led “smear campaign,” advisory council spokesperson Mohamed El-Khouly on Wednesday urged Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to issue a law further regulating the already carefully monitored activities of NGOs. Most groups are on guard.
“This is just the beginning,” says Khalid Ali, a prominent lawyer whose organisation, the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights, was not visited in the recent raids. “There are rumours that 100 NGOs will be subject to investigation, with some saying as many as 400 will be targeted.”
The fear of investigation is so keenly felt that Ahram Online has received several reports of civil society groups sending staff members home for the week, encouraging workers to remove all personal belongings from offices, and duplicating and securing key files and documents.
Many groups who initially spoke out against the police raids on NGO offices are now declining to comment. On Tuesday, the German government announced it would send a special envoy to Egypt because the German Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation had been raided.
In the latest development, prominent civil society workers and activists (including some whose offices were raided) are set to take legal action against Egypt’s Al-Wafd newspaper following unfounded allegations published in its online edition that the groups had received American funding. The offending article referenced a US diplomatic cable, recently published by online whistleblower Wikileaks, which documented several meetings between Egyptian NGO activists and American diplomats.
“There’s no mention of funding whatsoever in the cable,” says Ghada Shahbender of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR), whose name appears in the Wikileaks document. “I never denied meeting with Americans. I will continue to meet with them every chance I get to push our pro-democracy demands.”
“On more than one occasion at these meetings I have personally criticised American foreign policy double standards in dealing with the region,” she said. “This comes in the context of a harassment campaign by the state aimed at discrediting human rights advocates and organisations that report on state crimes.”
Daily News Egypt reported on Tuesday that the editor of Al-Wafd’s online news portal, Adel Sabry, had admitted to inaccuracies in the article on a television talk show. Nevertheless, the piece, entitled ‘‘Wikileaks announces the names of those who got American funding”, remains online.
Interestingly, the Egyptian police website (www.egypolice.com), an informal webpage run by the media office of the Ministry of Interior, picked up the Al-Wafd story and – despite both parties having access to a translation of the Wikileaks document – simultaneously published a post entitled, “Urgent and surprising… Wikileaks announces on its website the activists and politicians that had American funding.” The fact that a website claiming to represent one arm of the Egyptian security apparatus is taking the (factually incorrect) state party-line of a supposed “opposition” party newspaper is concerning.
Ali believes the action taken against NGOs is likely to escalate. “They may even take some groups to court and imprison NGO workers,” he told Ahram Online. Ali also fears his organisation will be targeted as it is mentioned in a recent government fact-finding report.
The report was first mentioned in July 2011 by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga and commissioned by Minister of Justice Mohamed Abdel Aziz El-Guindi. The document, which was leaked to El-Fager newspaper in late September, purportedly identifies 39 Egyptian and American civil society groups that are operating “without a license from the Ministry of Social Solidarity (for the Egyptian organisations) or from the foreign ministry (for the American organisations).”
The list includes the three American NGOs – the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI) and Freedom House – that were raided last Thursday.
However, as NDI director Julie Hughes told Ahram Online, obtaining these licenses can be difficult. The NDI has been attempting to register for six years, she explained. They were finally told in June 2011 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that they would not be granted a licence for “political reasons.”
“The authorities want most of these organisations to be registered because, when you register, the agreement comes from State Security, so you’re under their jurisdiction,” said Ali. “The authority’s objective is to force all NGOs and organisations to work under their authority.”
Ghada, whose organisation is licensed, agrees: “We are monitored and controlled by the Ministry of Social Solidarity under legislation passed in 2003 that gives the government complete control over NGOs. We object to this, but the EOHR nevertheless operates within their guidelines.”
Foreign funding has also been another reason to target NGOs, which, again, must be approved by the Ministry of Social Solidarity. In August, the Supreme State Security Prosecution launched investigations into foreign funding allegations, warning that groups could be charged with high treason, conspiracy against the state and compromising national security through the implementation of foreign agendas.
This is despite the fact that the Egyptian Armed Forces receive $1.3 billion in annual military aid from the US in an agreement that links Egypt to Israel’s US aid package.
“Most NGOs have foreign funding because there is very little money in Egypt,” one civil society worker who wished to remain anonymous for fear a backlash, told Ahram Online. “The Ministry of Social Solidarity will only fund projects that are in line with government politics, ruling out certain topics. We tried to run a project on prostitution, but they don’t want to be seen backing immoral people, so we didn’t get the funding.”
Bypassing legal means of funding can sometimes be the only way to work effectively on the ground, civil society workers say, forcing NGOs to violate the law and encouraging corruption. The legal situation for these NGOs leaves them in a precarious position, as outlined in a complaint letter written by civil society groups to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCR) following the recent crackdown on NGOs.
The 2003 legislation, which the letter says is systematically vague and has not been updated since the fall of the Mubarak regime, states that NGOs can only be created with approval from the Ministry of Solidarity (see Article 6). Article 17 of the law confirms that all receipt of funds must go through the ministry, while articles 34 and 42 give the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the security apparatus the right to object to board elections and disqualify candidates from the board. It also gives them extensive rights to dissolve civic associations.
The document cites the treatment of the New Woman Foundation as a recent example of ministry interference in the work of NGOs. The ministry was able to reject a prestigious international award the foundation had received on the grounds that the foundation was advocating for a new law conforming to international standards, which the ministry claimed was outside the remit of NGOs.
The letter sees this action as symptomatic of the “authoritarian” behaviour of the ministry and is in “clear violation of Article 22, paragraph 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” The letter also condemned the minister’s request to Egypt’s central bank to allow him to monitor NGO bank accounts, saying this represented a breach of account confidentially “upheld in Law 88/2033.”
The purpose and details of last week’s raids on NGO offices remain unclear.
Abu El-Naga, who appears to be the spokeswoman for the crackdown, gave no clear explanation as to why this particular group of civil society organisations had been chosen. The initial number of offices targeted was set at 17, but was then reduced to ten in the national and international media. Until now, Ahram Online has only been able to confirm seven. No official list has been issued.
Ahram Online can confirm that the targeted organisations are the NDI, the IRI, Freedom House, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation, the Arab Centre for Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession (ACIJLP), the Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory and the Future Centre of Judiciary Studies.
There are some obvious political motives behind the choice. The three American organisations are on the NGO hit-list drawn up by the Ministry of Justice. The Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory has been campaigning against the secrecy of the military budget – a controversial topic and one of the main features of the SCAF’s supra-constitutional proposal. Nasser Amin, ACIJLP director and Helwan parliamentary candidate, recently filed a court case because of potential vote rigging.
The Egyptian authorities may also have used the raids to send a message to Washington. At the very least, including American NGOs and a German foundation would help support the domestic party line that the government was cracking down on organisations with “foreign agendas.”
Civil society groups also question the use of paramilitary troops rather than normal police officers and the bizarre behaviour of the security forces, which included confiscating a water boiler, inspecting bathrooms and looking at a roof. Several of these groups have been operating since 2005 – so why raid them now? Then, in a televised interview with Abul-Naga, the government claimed the SCAF had no knowledge of the raids.
The actions last Thursday are not new. "This crackdown on Egyptian civil society has been happening for years,” said the anonymous NGO worker. “People who have been working for land rights in Egypt have been consistently tortured and imprisoned, from as far back as the 90s. It’s only new in the sense that we’re now supposed to be ‘post-revolution’.”
She emphasised that, since Mubarak stepped down, NGOs had become bolder in their work, which, she says, the SCAF rightly identifies as having contributed to the revolutionary process. Ghada agrees, seeing the raids as an extension of the security forces’ behaviour in November’s and December’s clashes in Cairo: “We have yet to see reform,” she said. “Events of the last quarter of 2011 show the SCAF is trying to abort the Egyptian revolution.”
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Denmark offers tech for electricity
ISLAMABAD – Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan has said that Pakistan is facing serious problem and Denmark as a friendly country is helping Islamabad in whatever manner it was possible.
In an interview with the news agency, the Ambassador said his country can help Pakistan in energy field through provision of technology. He said there is electricity and gas in Pakistan but was facing problems due to increase in population. He said garbage could be used as a raw material for generation of electricity and his country was doing this.
He said as President of the European Union it was priority of his country to further increase relations with Pakistan. He said Denmark in collaboration with NGOs was implementing several programmes in Pakistan. The Ambassador said there is no alternative to democracy and people of Pakistan could improve the system by electing politicians of integrity. He said NATO attack on Pakistani posts in Salala was very dangerous and should be investigated in a transparent manner.
He said Pakistan has given tremendous sacrifices in the war on terror and his country would extend full assistance for access to European markets.
He said Denmark became a welfare state after lot of efforts. He said though the country has not many resources but the government provided condusive business framework which played critical role for development. He pointed out that education is key to development of a country. He said Pakistan has not been able to achieve major progress in this field.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reprimanded on Friday nongovernmental organizations that have regularly criticized how the Indonesian Military (TNI) handles security in Papua, saying that they have implied that the law should not be enforced in the country’s two easternmost provinces.
“Papua is part of Indonesia. It doesn’t make sense that NGOs say things that imply that we can’t enforce the law in Papua,” he said at a TNI and National Police leaders meeting in Jakarta.
Yudhoyono said the military presence in Papua was not without justified.
“They are there because there is still an armed separatist movement, which we should be aware of,” he said, emphasizing that there was only a small military presence that did not conduct aggressive military operations.
The President stressed that the government was eager to improve welfare in Papua by implementing programs to accelerate Papua’s economic development.
“That is not just lip service — the average development expenditure per capita in Papua is the highest in the country,” Yudhoyono pointed out.
He added that he had conveyed the government’s policy on Papua to his counterparts across the globe as news regarding military activities in Papua had spread quickly to world leaders.
“Many have asked me about what happened in Papua. I should explain that the military presence in Papua is not without justification,” he said.
To respond to grievances from Papuans who deemed themselves unfairly treated by the central government, Yudhoyono set up in Sept. 20, last year, the government-sanctioned Presidential Unit for the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B).
Lt. Gen. Bambang Darmono, the commanding officer in Aceh from 2002 to 2005, was appointed the chief of the program.
Last week, the partnership for governance reform (Kemitraan) and the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) released a survey from 2011 that found that torture was commonly carried out by members of the police to extract information from suspects.
More than 205 respondents including suspects, police personnel, prosecutors, correctional officers, human rights activists, academics and local tribal chiefs, testified that torture was committed by police officers against suspects during arrests, investigations, detention and in jail.
Earlier, Vice President Boediono brushed aside fears of “foreign intervention” in the event of donor development funds being more accessible in Papua.
“Don’t seek ghosts in broad daylight,” Boediono said on Wednesday.
“The most important thing is for us to filter, be selective. Let’s not close ourselves off [unnecessarily],” he remarked.
He stressed that there were many donors — bilateral and multilateral – with good intentions in Papua.
He dismissed undue fears that countries like Australia and the United States had ulterior motives, referring to treaties and statements made by the two countries stating their support for Indonesia’s territorial integrity.
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Irby: Center participates in two-way cultural exchange
GORDONSVILLE --
Last summer the University of Virginia Center for Politics' Global Perspectives on Democracy program hosted 25 Afghan women from NGOs and high levels of the government from Afghanistan. This exchange, in partnership with Relief International and through the funding of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, provided classroom instruction and job-shadowing opportunities that focused on civic engagement, the rule of law and public administration. From Dec. 8-17, 2011, a delegation of four — Meg Heubeck from the U.Va. Center for Politics, Maury Brown from Germanna Community College, Joe Szakos of Virginia Organizing and I — traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, to witness the progress of the participants and meet with other members of the government and NGOs.
While in the United States, the delegates were tasked with formulating ideas on how they would use what they learned during the exchange as a catalyst for action upon return to Afghanistan. On the evening of the American delegation's arrival in Kabul, we reunited with the Afghan participants to learn about their project activities and personally reconnect. Each participant gave a report on the project activities since their return, which was truly inspirational. They told about training sessions and presentations they had hosted on topics such as individual rights, the importance of civic engagement, the rule of law and combating corruption, and about pamphlets they had created and distributed on the importance of women participating in society and knowing how to respond when their rights are violated. Everyone in attendance gave a stirring report.
Traveling around Kabul gave us a taste of some of the daily challenges that face those living in the city and, I suspect, across the country. Issues related to security are ever present. As one might expect, heavily armed Afghan police, military personnel and private security guards are a constant sight in Kabul. While we thankfully never witnessed any criminal or terrorist activity, these personnel are clearly there for a reason, and that weighs on the psyche of the people. It was a surprise for me that we saw extremely few foreign military personnel. The fact that Afghans are in charge of Kabul must be considered a success, though there is clearly much work to be done in other parts of the country. The treatment of women on almost all levels is one of the greatest challenges facing Afghanistan and will take many years to significantly change. Improving education and literacy (currently under 30 percent) must occur among all in the country, but especially women and girls. Transparency and the fight against corruption was a subject that regularly made its way into our discussions. Infrastructure and the environment are also areas of great need. The evening rush hour in Kabul leaves your eyes burning.
With all of these challenges considered, it appears that Afghanistan and its government are moving in the right direction. Citizens are hard-working and are doing their best to improve their condition, and the government seems to be doing a fair job of rebuilding its institutions. Afghanistan is not a nation on island time, and there is a lot more going on in this country than the flashpoints we hear about on the news.
Even though Afghanistan is far away from the U.S. in many ways, we need to remember that Afghans are similar to us in many ways. They love their families, are industrious, attend religious services or not, desire stability in their daily lives, and want to be free. There may be some who hate Americans, but the overwhelming majority do not. While they naturally look forward to full independence from foreign intervention, most appreciate the removal of the Taliban yoke.
One can learn only so much in a week, but I left Afghanistan with an increased level of awareness and understanding of Afghan government and civil institutions, life in Kabul, and where Afghans and the Center for Politics' past and future exchange participants are literally and figuratively coming from. There are so many challenges. Where will Afghanistan be in five, 10 or 20 years? Afghanistan's stability is our stability, and it is an honor to have had a small part in our nations' futures. Many, both military and civilian, from Afghanistan, the U.S. and other countries have done much more than I to help provide stability and rebuild this nation. Many families have made the ultimate sacrifice. Let us not lose sight of where we have come in the past 10 years and the progress that is being made. And it is being made.
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Nature Alert misleading the public on orangutans
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) together with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) would like to address the issues raised by Sean Whyte, CEO of Nature Alert in FMT on Jan 11, with regards to the news of orangutans being abused at Melaka Zoo.
The Ministry and the Department are highly concerned with the way Nature Alert is misleading the public by issuing pictures taken at certain angles that doesn’t depict the way orangutans managed by Zoo Melaka. The pictures were taken only to form a perception among the public that these orangutans are badly managed which is the ultimate objective of this UK based NGO.
It is important to note that anybody can take pictures of orangutans in their respective cages and claim that they are being abused because as it is a well known fact that pictures may tell a hundred stories but not the truth. The truth can only be discovered by conducting a thorough check with the respective zoo management about the issue and not by just producing pictures to mislead the public.
In this aspect, the Ministry has clarified the issue in a leading newspaper last week which can be found at this link http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/7/nation/10213526&sec=nation
In this regard, we also would like to reiterate that the government led by the Prime Minister pays utmost importance on transparency in handling all issues ranging from rakyat’s welfare to wildlife welfare. This government fully believes that with elements of transparency, openness and integrity, any issue can be resolved amicably.
With this kind of approaches in our way of doing things, we had extended our invitation to Mr Whyte for a visit to A Famosa Resort to view and analyse the newly built enclosures for orangutans but regrettably, Mr Whyte refused to accept our invitation.
The session was a success in gathering feedback, expert opinions and knowledge from all the NGOS present which showed their commitment in managing the wellbeing of our orangutans. Mr Whyte’s refusal to join the said group of NGOS to analyse, discuss or provide feedbacks in managing orangutans in our zoos clearly shows that Mr Whyte’s has a different priority.
As a Ministry responsible to safeguard the biodiversity in this country, we welcome feedback, criticism, opinions and so forth and this can be seen clearly with our involvement with NGOS in resolving issues related to wildlife. We have been working very closely with our NGOs in various fields and would expect the same from from Nature Alert.
Since orangutans are Malaysia’s natural heritage, the concern for the environment and welfare of the orangutans and other wildlife is not the monopoly of any party including Nature Alert. We are equally as concerned, if not more, hence, issues of orangutan welfare and management should not be an issue to be manipulated by any party.
Being the second oldest zoo in Malaysia, further improvement is needed to upgrade the existing facilities and this will be undertaken from time to time. These actions need thorough planning and executed accordingly in line with the new zoo guidelines to be enforced soon. Here, we would like to invite all our stakeholders to share their knowledge, experiences and feedbacks for better management of zoos in time to come.
The writer is Head of Corporate Communications, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE)
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Kashmir zealots push Christians into valley of fear
SRINAGAR: From the toast of Srinagar to a man with a question mark about his intentions, it's been quite a journey for Juan Marcos Troia, an Argentinian football coach and star of the documentary, 'Inshallah Football'.
In 2009, Marcos was credited with reviving football in Kashmir. 'Inshallah Football' is about one of Marcos's best players, Basharat, the son of a former militant, and his dream to play in Brazil. Though initially denied, Basharat got his passport and went to Brazil a few months ago. But there is no smile of satisfaction on Marcos's face. Much has changed since 2009.
Kashmir is in the grip of a controversy surrounding religious conversions by priests and foreign NGOs. Everyone, it seems, is under the scanner. Troia, who has been questioned by the state football association about the funding for his clubs, is now the target of a whisper campaign. Fundamentalists are ratcheting up religious mobilization.
His house vandalized, Marcos is now running around asking cops for help. "We have to fend for ourselves," says his dejected wife, Priscilla.
The controversy began when a video surfaced showing a pastor C M Khanna baptizing young Muslim boys. A Sharia court "summoned" Khanna and accused him of converting Muslims by luring them with money; a claim that the Christian Council of India denies. Khanna was arrested for disturbing communal peace. He is now on bail but the Sharia court ordered his "expulsion" from the state. Although this court has no legal sanctity, political parties have remained silent.
This has left the field open for further pressure on the 400-odd Christians in the Valley. The two missionary schools in Srinagar are now facing calls to include Islamic prayers as part of the curriculum and prove they do not promote Christianity.
The few foreign nationals who live here are harassed. "I got a call around midnight, and this man on the phone asked me how many Bibles I had, how my 'real motive' was known to him," said one foreigner.
Local converts are worse off. A few weeks ago, the mere rumour that a few boys in a Ganderbal village had converted led to a raids by five carloads of men led by a maulvi from a madrassa. Their homes were ransacked.
Adding to this climate was an article in Kashmir's leading English daily on Friday last. Titled 'Apostasy unveiled', the full page spread is an alleged first person account of one of the boys pastor Khanna had converted. The story of Class 10 student reads like a film script.
He was trapped by the pastor who used a girl to entice him to drink alcohol. Then blackmailed him with a video recording. The student is "progressively addicted to alcohol, women, money, drugs, and the promise of weapons".
At each stage, pastor Khanna's personal involvement is recorded. The highlight is this passage: "There were candles and an empty glass on the table. As the prayers went on, someone brought a jug full of red liquid and poured it into the glass. It was swine blood which we all had to drink. Khanna took some sips, then his daughter and I joined the others."
This is the most talked about news in Srinagar - on twitter and facebook, in living rooms and cafes. "One comes to know the extent to which these people will go to convert," read a facebook comment.
Even educated people this reporter spoke to believe sex, booze and money is the only reason why anyone would convert to Christianity. For the Christians here it's an indictment they shall have to learn to live with.
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Trust in Government Suffers a Severe Breakdown Across the Globe
Credibility of Governmental Officials and CEOs Experience Biggest Drops Ever, 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer Finds
NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Blame for the financial and political chaos of 2011 landed at the doorstep of government, as trust in that institution fell a record nine points to 43 percent globally, according to the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer. In seventeen of the 25 countries surveyed, government is now trusted by less than half to do what is right. In twelve, it trails business, media, and non-governmental organizations as the least trusted institution. France, Spain, Brazil, China, Russia, and Japan, as well as six other countries, saw government trust drop by more than ten points. Government officials are now the least credible spokespeople, with only 29 percent considering them credible. Nearly half of the general population -- the first time the Barometer looked at this broader group -- say they do not trust government leaders to tell the truth.
"Business is now better placed than government to lead the way out of the trust crisis," said Richard Edelman, president and CEO, Edelman. "But the balance must change so that business is seen both as a force for good and an engine for profit."
Although business experienced fewer and generally less severe declines in trust, it has its own hurdles to clear. Trust in business fell globally from 56 percent to 53 percent, with countries like France and Germany, in the heart of the Eurozone economic crisis, experiencing double-digit decreases. Lack of confidence in business spread to South Korea, where trust dropped 15 points. China was the only country to see a significant increase in trust in business, rising from 61 to 71 percent.
CEO credibility declined 12 points to 38 percent, its biggest drop in nine years. In South Korea and Japan, it dropped by 34 and 43 points, respectively.
In the midst of this systemic decline in trust, a "person like me" has re-emerged as one of the three most credible spokespeople, with the biggest increase in credibility since 2004, and now trails only academics and technical experts. Regular employees jumped from least credible spokesperson to tied for fourth on the list, with a 16-point record rise. Social-networking, micro-blogging, and content-sharing sites witnessed the most dramatic percentage increase as trusted sources of information about a company, rising by 88, 86, and 75 percent, respectively.
"This is further evidence of the dispersion of authority," said Mr. Edelman. "Smart businesses will talk to employees first, because citizens now trust one another more than they do established institutions."
The 2012 Trust Barometer reveals that the factors responsible for shaping current trust levels are less important than those that will build future trust. Consistent financial returns, innovative products and highly regarded senior leadership are the primary factors on which current trust levels lie. However, listening to customer feedback and putting customers ahead of profits are far more vital to building future trust.
"Our analysis shows that the operational factors driving present trust in business aren't enough to expand trust in the future," said Neal Flieger, chair, Strategy One, Edelman's research firm. "The path forward requires more of a focus on societal and employee-facing issues."
Although business is substantially more trusted than government, 49 percent of global respondents believe government does not regulate business enough. Nearly one-third want government to protect them from irresponsible business practices and one-quarter want regulation that will ensure responsible corporate behavior. "The interventions people are asking government to take are changes business can step up and implement on its own," said Mr. Edelman.
Once again, banks and financial services declined in trust, and were the two least trusted sectors with France, Spain, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea recording the most severe drops. Technology remained the most trusted sector globally.
Media, the one institution to see an increase, saw its global trust level rise above 50 percent. It experienced significant regional upticks in India (20 points), the U.S. (18 points), the UK (15 points) and Italy (12 points).
"As the media landscape dimensionalizes and delivers a wider range of options, it is becoming more trusted," said Alan VanderMolen, President and CEO, Global Practices and Diversified Insights Business, Edelman. "The media also did an exceptional job this past year of covering the financial problems throughout the EU."
In Japan, site of last March's earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster, trust fell severely in three of the four institutions including government (down 26 points), media (12 points), and NGOs (21 points). That loss of trust extended to five industry sectors, including energy (down 46 points), media (21 points), banks (20 points) and financial services (17 points).
"The fragility of trust was never more evident than this past year in Japan, where the government's lack of leadership and the local utility's poor transparency revealed huge shortcomings in the command-and-control approach to communications," said Mr. Edelman.
Other key findings from the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer include:
The United States held steady across three major institutions, unlike last year when it posted significant declines in NGOs, media, business, and government.
Traditional media and online search engines are the most trusted sources of information for people searching for general news and information, new product information, news on an environmental crisis, and company announcements. Traditional media, TV, newspapers, and magazines are still the most trusted sources of information, according to the Barometer.
Among 18-29 year olds, digital media is the most popular source for general news and information.
With the exception of technology and automotive, South Korea experienced extraordinary drops in trust in every industry sector. Telecommunications, down 32 points to 39 percent, and financial services, down 25 points to 39 percent, endured the largest drops in trust.
Brazil saw the greatest drops in trust across all major institutions - government (53 points), NGOs (down 31 points), business (18 points), and media (12 points). At the time of last year's Trust Barometer, Brazil had just been awarded the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics and President Dilma Rousseff had just been elected. This year's declines represent a return to normalcy for businesses and the arrest of four government officials for corruption.
About the Edelman Trust Barometer The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm's 12th annual trust and credibility survey. The survey was produced by research firm StrategyOne and consisted of 20-minute online interviews conducted from October 10 - November 30, 2011. The 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer online survey sampled 25,000 general population respondents with an oversample of 5,600 informed publics in two age groups (25-34 and 35-64) across 25 countries. All informed publics met the following criteria: college-educated; household income in the top quartile for their age in their country; read or watch business/news media at least several times a week; follow public policy issues in the news at least several times a week. For more information, visit http://www.edelman.com/trust or call 212.729.2166.
About Edelman Edelman is the world's largest independent public relations firm, with offices in 60 cities and 4,000 employees worldwide, as well as affiliates in more than 30 cities. Edelman was named Advertising Age's top-ranked PR firm of the decade and one of its "2010 A-List Agencies" and "2010 Best Places to Work;" PRWeek's "2011 Large PR Agency of the Year" and "2011 Large UK Consultancy of the Year;" European Excellence Awards' "2010 Agency of the Year;" Holmes Report's "2011 Global Agency of the Year," "Agency of the Decade," and "2009 Asia Pacific Consultancy of the Year;" and among Glassdoor's top five "2011 Best Places to Work." Edelman owns specialty firms Blue (advertising), StrategyOne (research), Ruth (integrated marketing), DJE Science (medical education/publishing and science communications), MATTER (sports, sponsorship, and entertainment), and Edelman Consulting. Visit http://www.edelman.com/ for more information.
CONTACT: Michael Bush 212.729.2181 michael.bush@edelman.com
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President slams NGOs commenting on Papua
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reprimanded on Friday nongovernmental organizations that often criticized how the Indonesian Military (TNI) handles security in Papua, saying that they implied that the law should not be enforced in the country’s easternmost island.
“Papua is part of Indonesia. It doesn’t make sense that NGOs say something that implies that we can’t enforce the law in Papua,” he said at the TNI and National Police leaders meeting in Jakarta.
SBY said the military presence in Papua was not without reason.
“They are there because there is still an armed separatist movement, which we should be aware of,” he said, emphasizing that there was only a small military presence that did not conduct aggressive military operations.
The President stressed that the government was eager to improve people’s welfare on the island by implementing programs to accelerate Papua’s economic development.
“That is not just lip service – the average development expenditure per capita in Papua is the highest in the country,” SBY pointed out.
He added that he had conveyed the government’s policy on Papua to his counterparts across the globe as news regarding military activities in Papua spread quickly to world leaders.
“Many have asked me about what happened in Papua. I should explain that the military presence in Papua was not without justification,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.
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India Digest: Tax Rulings Fixed, CJI Demands Government Action
Here is a roundup of news from Indian newspapers, news wires and websites on Monday, January 23, 2012. The Wall Street Journal has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
Tax Rulings Fixed, CJI Demands Government Action: Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia has asked the government to take “appropriate action” against at least 20 members of the country’s top income tax tribunal who are on the CBI’s radar for having allegedly ‘outsourced’ writing of judgments to private parties. (Source: Hindustan Times)
Kashmir Zealots Push Christians Into Valley of Fear: Kashmir is in the grip of a controversy surrounding religious conversions by priests and foreign NGOs. Everyone, it seems, is under the scanner. (Source: The Times of India)
Rly Panel for Linking Fares to Inflation, a One-Time Hike of 25%: A high-level committee on rail modernisation chaired by Sam Pitroda, advisor to the prime minister, has recommended that the Railways hike passenger fares one time by 25 per cent and index all fares to inflation to raise Rs 60,000 crore next year. (Source: The Indian Express)
Manmohan Betraying People: Team Anna: Spearheading its campaign to put the Lokpal Bill issue in the forefront as a poll issue, Team Anna on Sunday accused the four major parties in the fray in Uttar Pradesh of misleading the people on the issue and demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh come up with an altogether new, effective and strong Bill.
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The Attack on NGOs in Egypt
Eleven members of the United States Senate have written to Egypt’s head of government Field Marshal Tantawi to threaten a reduction of U.S. aid unless the NGOs raided on December 29 are permitted to reopen.
As I have written here previously, that’s the right stance for the United States to take. Three of the seventeen organizations raided were American and backed by U.S. Government funding: Freedom House, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute. Written materials and computers were also seized, and despite various promises nothing has been returned.
We may not be able to stop the Egyptian military and security forces from such actions but we surely don’t have to pay for it. They should be told there is now a freeze on our military aid until this situation is rectified.
Why is this so important? The answer lies not only in Egypt, whose possible transition to democracy is the target of such raids. It happens that Freedom House, NDI, and IRI work in dozens of countries around the globe that are not free: Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Burma, China, and Venezuela are examples. The rulers of those countries obviously do not appreciate the work they do to promote democracy, and the danger is that they will learn a lesson from Egypt. Today that lesson would be “we can throw these people out and seize their work materials with impunity. We’ll just get a few protests from the State Department. It’s an easy price to pay.” We need them to know that the price will be high, in foreign aid if they get any and in relations with the United States overall. We need them to conclude “it just isn’t worth the pain.” If Egypt can get away with this, others will inevitably try to follow.
That’s what those senators were trying to teach, and it is a lesson that the United States must instill. The work those NGOs do is central to our foreign policy and our position in the world, and we should not allow them to be harassed, intimidated, and ejected. Choosing between support for Field Marshal Tantawi and those American NGOs should be easy, and in any event they are canaries in the coal mine. The treatment they receive is an infallible signal of the sort of government that is in place, and should be a guide to our relations with the regime abusing them.
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NGOs probed over N-funds
An official team from the ministry of Union home affairs resumed its inspection Wednesday, after the Pongal holidays, of non-governmental organisations affiliated to the Thoothukudi Roman Catholic diocese.
The 2-member team of Mr Johinder Prasad, under secretary (audit), ministry of home affairs, and Mr Sujith Kumar Singh, that was said to have begun its auditing on January 10 on a complaint that foreign funding received by NGOs affiliated to the Thoothukudi Roman Catholic diocese misused the funds to instigate the anti-KKNPP movement, suspended its inspection for three days beginning January 15 in view of the Pongal festival.
The team also inspected the Thalamuthunagar refugee camp, near Thoothukudi, where the Thoothukudi multi-purpose social service society (TMSSS) of the diocese was doing welfare activities using foreign funds.
The prime minister’s office minister V. Naray-anasamy had recently stated that some of the NGOs in Thoothukudi were instigating the anti-KKNPP struggle using foreign funds.
He also warned that their FCRA registration would be cancelled. Reacting to this audit, Thoothukudi Roman Catholic bishop Yvon Ambroise said it was only a usual audit of the ministry.
He also threatened legal action against a section of the media that continues to publish false news to tarnish their image.
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NGOs vow to defy SCAF crackdown
CAIRO: Thirty-two rights groups condemned a raid on civil society organizations Thursday, promising to continue their work.
Security forces and prosecutors raided 17 offices of rights groups and organizations on Thursday, including the offices of three US-funded groups promoting democracy, following official announcements about an investigation into illegal foreign funding.
“This serious step marks the beginning of a security campaign that is expected to affect dozens of advocacy groups,” the 32 groups, which include the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance, the Center for Trade Union and Workers Services and the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression, said in a statement.
The raid “is part of a broader campaign launched by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to smear and stigmatize all rights activists and numerous forces involved in the January 25 revolution,” they added.
The charges for which the offices were raided and their equipment confiscated haven’t been officially announced. It’s believed to be part of the government investigation of the funding of civil society organizations.
Minister of Justice Adel Abdel Hameed said in a press conference earlier this month that investigations into illegal foreign funding were based on the results of a probe conducted by a fact-finding committee affiliated to the Ministry of Justice.
"The probe examined the legality of the work of 300 NGOs and the direct foreign funding they received from foreign countries and organizations," the minister said.
"The investigations revealed that a number of Egyptian and foreign organizations received foreign funding and worked illegally inside Egypt. Investigations are ongoing as other state monitoring institutions are compiling reports about these organizations," he added.
“They are trying to defame us but this is a [small] battle, said Ahmed Seif, founder of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center, one of the signatories. “The bigger battle is to continue our work, because all the victims have faith in us. So the question should be how we are going to protect our country by protecting the files in our offices.”
Armed special forces along with police officers and prosecutors raided the offices of the International Republican Institute (IRI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Freedom House, all Washington-based organizations, as well as Germany’s Konrad Adenauer foundation and 13 Egyptian NGOs including the Egyptian Arab Center for the Independence of Judiciary (ACIJ) and Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory (BHRO).
Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network Human Rights Information, one of the signatories, said, “I asked the public prosecutor what are the special forces doing here, they told me it’s their right. We are ruled by a tyrannical regime.”
The United States, Germany and the United Nations have condemned the raids.
The 32 Egyptian groups, which held a joint press conference Thursday hours after the raids, said they were still discussing how to respond.
“We are studying our options. We could organize a protest or a sit-in. We are still figuring out our way but we will not stop,” Seif said.
Nasser Amin, head of the ACIJ, stressed that the organization would work with or without offices and even if its members were behind bars. He however lamented the timing.
“We were expecting this to happen but before Jan.25 [the uprising the toppled president Hosni Mubarak], not after,” he said.
In the statement the groups said, “The SCAF proves not only its hostility to the fundamental goals of the Egyptian revolution and the sacrifices of its martyrs, but demonstrates its deeply held desire to settle accounts with political and advocacy groups that played a prominent role in ushering in the revolution or during the uprising itself.”
They said SCAF is reproducing Mubarak’s authoritarian methods “in an even uglier, more dangerous form.”
The Egyptian Social Democratic Party strongly condemned Friday the raids on NGOs.
"The ESD calls on all revolutionary and political forces to join a march in front of the Prosecutor General's office to condemn current raids by prosecutors and Commandos forces against NGOs," ESD said in a statement Friday.
Other voices, however, were not as critical.
Mahmoud Ghozlan, spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood, told Daily
News Egypt that the work of rights groups is appreciated and the rights of association, expression and organization are constitutional rights, but all should work in accordance with the law.
"These organizations should have patriotic agendas, their sources of funding should be revealed and monitored, and they should be working legally," Ghozlan said, quoting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she said $40 million will be given for NGOs to support democracy.
"US money was injected in the country right after the revolution with claims to support democracy, but this money should be monitored and state institution must make sure that this money is spent legally," he said.
Ghozlan said that all should respect the law, and as long as the judiciary is working on monitoring this process, the rule of law should be respected.
The groups’ representatives at the press conference said the campaign aims to repress the right to speak up in Egypt.
“Why are we a target? Maybe because we have been monitoring the military’s budget?” asked Helmy Rawy, head of BHRO.
“We won’t stop, we will unite with April 6, Revolutionary Socialists, Ultras, and whoever is ready to resist those who are working on countering the revolution,” said Hafez Abou Saeda, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, one of the signatories.
Hafez described as illegal the act of confiscating properties and paperwork without registration. This, he explained, would allow the government to add to the list material not take from the raided offices.
In late October, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation revealed that 12 Egyptian NGOs had received $5.8 million, while 14 US NGOs operating in Egypt had received $47.8 million illegally, according to reports.
At that time, Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Aboul Naga slammed the funding of NGOs that were not registered with the ministry or whose funding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not oversee.
“It is not enough for the [US embassy] to notify the Egyptian government if the NGOs were given funds and this does not justify the continuation of their activities, which must cease immediately,” said Aboul Naga, adding that Egypt does not reject foreign funds to NGOs as long as they are processed within the agreed upon legal framework.
Law 84/2002 requires NGOs to get approval from the Ministry of Social Solidarity before they can receive foreign funds. The ministry could block funding for several reasons in which employees of the organizations face imprisonment and a fine if convicted.
Aboul Naga has previously specified that these funds should only go towards development projects and that funding for political organizations, whether civil society or political parties, is completely illegal.
“The military chiefs now ruling Egypt, has no intention of permitting the establishment of genuine democracy and is attempting to scapegoat civil society for its own abysmal failure to manage Egypt’s transition effectively,” David J. Kramer, president of Freedom House, wrote in a press statement.
NGOs representatives say they expect more raids by security forces to take place these days. –Additional reporting by Mai Shams El-Din.
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NGO crackdown: Frontline of the ongoing revolution
Operating as a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) in Egypt is no mean feat. Aside from the fear of further crackdowns following last week’s raids and what civil society groups are calling a government-led “smear campaign,” advisory council spokesperson Mohamed El-Khouly on Wednesday urged Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to issue a law further regulating the already carefully monitored activities of NGOs. Most groups are on guard.
“This is just the beginning,” says Khalid Ali, a prominent lawyer whose organisation, the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights, was not visited in the recent raids. “There are rumours that 100 NGOs will be subject to investigation, with some saying as many as 400 will be targeted.”
The fear of investigation is so keenly felt that Ahram Online has received several reports of civil society groups sending staff members home for the week, encouraging workers to remove all personal belongings from offices, and duplicating and securing key files and documents.
Many groups who initially spoke out against the police raids on NGO offices are now declining to comment. On Tuesday, the German government announced it would send a special envoy to Egypt because the German Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation had been raided.
In the latest development, prominent civil society workers and activists (including some whose offices were raided) are set to take legal action against Egypt’s Al-Wafd newspaper following unfounded allegations published in its online edition that the groups had received American funding. The offending article referenced a US diplomatic cable, recently published by online whistleblower Wikileaks, which documented several meetings between Egyptian NGO activists and American diplomats.
“There’s no mention of funding whatsoever in the cable,” says Ghada Shahbender of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR), whose name appears in the Wikileaks document. “I never denied meeting with Americans. I will continue to meet with them every chance I get to push our pro-democracy demands.”
“On more than one occasion at these meetings I have personally criticised American foreign policy double standards in dealing with the region,” she said. “This comes in the context of a harassment campaign by the state aimed at discrediting human rights advocates and organisations that report on state crimes.”
Daily News Egypt reported on Tuesday that the editor of Al-Wafd’s online news portal, Adel Sabry, had admitted to inaccuracies in the article on a television talk show. Nevertheless, the piece, entitled ‘‘Wikileaks announces the names of those who got American funding”, remains online.
Interestingly, the Egyptian police website (www.egypolice.com), an informal webpage run by the media office of the Ministry of Interior, picked up the Al-Wafd story and – despite both parties having access to a translation of the Wikileaks document – simultaneously published a post entitled, “Urgent and surprising… Wikileaks announces on its website the activists and politicians that had American funding.” The fact that a website claiming to represent one arm of the Egyptian security apparatus is taking the (factually incorrect) state party-line of a supposed “opposition” party newspaper is concerning.
Ali believes the action taken against NGOs is likely to escalate. “They may even take some groups to court and imprison NGO workers,” he told Ahram Online. Ali also fears his organisation will be targeted as it is mentioned in a recent government fact-finding report.
The report was first mentioned in July 2011 by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga and commissioned by Minister of Justice Mohamed Abdel Aziz El-Guindi. The document, which was leaked to El-Fager newspaper in late September, purportedly identifies 39 Egyptian and American civil society groups that are operating “without a license from the Ministry of Social Solidarity (for the Egyptian organisations) or from the foreign ministry (for the American organisations).”
The list includes the three American NGOs – the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI) and Freedom House – that were raided last Thursday.
However, as NDI director Julie Hughes told Ahram Online, obtaining these licenses can be difficult. The NDI has been attempting to register for six years, she explained. They were finally told in June 2011 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that they would not be granted a licence for “political reasons.”
“The authorities want most of these organisations to be registered because, when you register, the agreement comes from State Security, so you’re under their jurisdiction,” said Ali. “The authority’s objective is to force all NGOs and organisations to work under their authority.”
Ghada, whose organisation is licensed, agrees: “We are monitored and controlled by the Ministry of Social Solidarity under legislation passed in 2003 that gives the government complete control over NGOs. We object to this, but the EOHR nevertheless operates within their guidelines.”
Foreign funding has also been another reason to target NGOs, which, again, must be approved by the Ministry of Social Solidarity. In August, the Supreme State Security Prosecution launched investigations into foreign funding allegations, warning that groups could be charged with high treason, conspiracy against the state and compromising national security through the implementation of foreign agendas.
This is despite the fact that the Egyptian Armed Forces receive $1.3 billion in annual military aid from the US in an agreement that links Egypt to Israel’s US aid package.
“Most NGOs have foreign funding because there is very little money in Egypt,” one civil society worker who wished to remain anonymous for fear a backlash, told Ahram Online. “The Ministry of Social Solidarity will only fund projects that are in line with government politics, ruling out certain topics. We tried to run a project on prostitution, but they don’t want to be seen backing immoral people, so we didn’t get the funding.”
Bypassing legal means of funding can sometimes be the only way to work effectively on the ground, civil society workers say, forcing NGOs to violate the law and encouraging corruption. The legal situation for these NGOs leaves them in a precarious position, as outlined in a complaint letter written by civil society groups to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCR) following the recent crackdown on NGOs.
The 2003 legislation, which the letter says is systematically vague and has not been updated since the fall of the Mubarak regime, states that NGOs can only be created with approval from the Ministry of Solidarity (see Article 6). Article 17 of the law confirms that all receipt of funds must go through the ministry, while articles 34 and 42 give the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the security apparatus the right to object to board elections and disqualify candidates from the board. It also gives them extensive rights to dissolve civic associations.
The document cites the treatment of the New Woman Foundation as a recent example of ministry interference in the work of NGOs. The ministry was able to reject a prestigious international award the foundation had received on the grounds that the foundation was advocating for a new law conforming to international standards, which the ministry claimed was outside the remit of NGOs.
The letter sees this action as symptomatic of the “authoritarian” behaviour of the ministry and is in “clear violation of Article 22, paragraph 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” The letter also condemned the minister’s request to Egypt’s central bank to allow him to monitor NGO bank accounts, saying this represented a breach of account confidentially “upheld in Law 88/2033.”
The purpose and details of last week’s raids on NGO offices remain unclear.
Abu El-Naga, who appears to be the spokeswoman for the crackdown, gave no clear explanation as to why this particular group of civil society organisations had been chosen. The initial number of offices targeted was set at 17, but was then reduced to ten in the national and international media. Until now, Ahram Online has only been able to confirm seven. No official list has been issued.
Ahram Online can confirm that the targeted organisations are the NDI, the IRI, Freedom House, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation, the Arab Centre for Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession (ACIJLP), the Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory and the Future Centre of Judiciary Studies.
There are some obvious political motives behind the choice. The three American organisations are on the NGO hit-list drawn up by the Ministry of Justice. The Budgetary and Human Rights Observatory has been campaigning against the secrecy of the military budget – a controversial topic and one of the main features of the SCAF’s supra-constitutional proposal. Nasser Amin, ACIJLP director and Helwan parliamentary candidate, recently filed a court case because of potential vote rigging.
The Egyptian authorities may also have used the raids to send a message to Washington. At the very least, including American NGOs and a German foundation would help support the domestic party line that the government was cracking down on organisations with “foreign agendas.”
Civil society groups also question the use of paramilitary troops rather than normal police officers and the bizarre behaviour of the security forces, which included confiscating a water boiler, inspecting bathrooms and looking at a roof. Several of these groups have been operating since 2005 – so why raid them now? Then, in a televised interview with Abul-Naga, the government claimed the SCAF had no knowledge of the raids.
The actions last Thursday are not new. "This crackdown on Egyptian civil society has been happening for years,” said the anonymous NGO worker. “People who have been working for land rights in Egypt have been consistently tortured and imprisoned, from as far back as the 90s. It’s only new in the sense that we’re now supposed to be ‘post-revolution’.”
She emphasised that, since Mubarak stepped down, NGOs had become bolder in their work, which, she says, the SCAF rightly identifies as having contributed to the revolutionary process. Ghada agrees, seeing the raids as an extension of the security forces’ behaviour in November’s and December’s clashes in Cairo: “We have yet to see reform,” she said. “Events of the last quarter of 2011 show the SCAF is trying to abort the Egyptian revolution.”
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Denmark offers tech for electricity
ISLAMABAD – Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan has said that Pakistan is facing serious problem and Denmark as a friendly country is helping Islamabad in whatever manner it was possible.
In an interview with the news agency, the Ambassador said his country can help Pakistan in energy field through provision of technology. He said there is electricity and gas in Pakistan but was facing problems due to increase in population. He said garbage could be used as a raw material for generation of electricity and his country was doing this.
He said as President of the European Union it was priority of his country to further increase relations with Pakistan. He said Denmark in collaboration with NGOs was implementing several programmes in Pakistan. The Ambassador said there is no alternative to democracy and people of Pakistan could improve the system by electing politicians of integrity. He said NATO attack on Pakistani posts in Salala was very dangerous and should be investigated in a transparent manner.
He said Pakistan has given tremendous sacrifices in the war on terror and his country would extend full assistance for access to European markets.
He said Denmark became a welfare state after lot of efforts. He said though the country has not many resources but the government provided condusive business framework which played critical role for development. He pointed out that education is key to development of a country. He said Pakistan has not been able to achieve major progress in this field.
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