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Civil society lacks seriousness
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
August 12, 2005

http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id=45964&pubdate=2005-08-12

GLOBALISATION has created a new phenomenon, the so-called civil society, made up of individuals or groups who give the impression that they are watchdogs of society and the attendant neo-liberal ideals.

These individuals consider themselves to be the most important elements in society, who are there to ensure the creation of a just and equitable community.

Questions concerning this emergent group of individuals have not only centred on the fact that the word "civil" itself, implies that there is another society that is uncivil, but also on the fact that they do not seem to know their real constituents.

One of the most important aspects of real civil society is that individual members must be able to determine their collective interests independently of the state, or any other foreign power.

Such autonomy enables the representation of all sectors by lessening the dominance of the interests of the elite.

Moreover, because the units of civil society are self-created, they provide the basis for political democracy.

Real civil society, thus, refers to non-profit organised groups, clubs and associations that operate independently from domestic or foreign governments.

They include a wide array of organisations that have a presence in public life and express the interest and values of their members based on ethical, cultural, scientific, religious and philanthropic considerations.

Civil society thus includes church organisations, foundations, guilds, professional associations, labour unions, academic institutions, media, pressure groups and at times political parties.

Their roles range from the catalytic role of making links between economic and political democratisation issues, to the promotion of alternative development principles.

The world over, civil society has become an influential actor in public policy and in development efforts; its engagement continues to grow stronger and is being recognised as an integral part of an effective institutional strategy for poverty reduction and the achievement of national development roles.

According to the World Bank home page, civil society has also become an important channel for the delivery of social services and implementation of other programmes, especially in regions were the administrations are weak, in post conflict situations, or where civil society experiences and expertise complements government action.

Zimbabwe, like other countries, also has individuals laying claim to the civil society or Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) tag.

Real civil society in Zimbabwe dates back to the early 1940s with the establishment of various labour bodies, that brought increased involvement of the religious fraternity in the fight for human rights and the improvement of the living conditions of the down trodden black people.

The history of the church in Zimbabwe is a history of revolution as the church gave moral and logistical support to freedom fighters.

According to Former French ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte, "a state without religion is like a vessel without a compass," thus the church is pivotal to social cohesion and must criticise political excesses and hail benevolence.

It must, however not be seen taking sides in any political dispensation.

The only side it should align itself is the side of truth and justice.

In the colonial era, the church in Zimbabwe was very important in defending the ordinary people against exploitation.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Watchtower Movement and the Catholic Church were vocal in the fight against the racist inequities of the Rhodesian regime.

The Catholic Church, in particular, assisted liberation fighters on all fronts.

The churches were also instrumental in information dissemination.

The Roman Catholic church published the newsletter, Moto (fire) while the United Methodist Church published Umbowo (Evidence), all of which spoke against the unfair treatment Africans were getting from the white regime.

After independence the church continued to play its watchdog role.

After 1990, however, some clerics in the Catholic Church especially the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) began taking sides on the political arena.

In spite of the fact that the Zimbabwean High Court ruled that the Chihambakwe Commission Report into the disturbances that rocked Matabeleland and Manicaland between 1982 and 1987 should not be released on the grounds of national security; the CCJP in cahoots with the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) financed and compiled their own report titled; "Breaking the Silence Building True Peace," which they said was an attempt to heal the nation.

The report was released in 1997, and two years later, the then leader of the CCJP Mike Auret and the leader of the LRF David Coltart were in the MDC national executive, and a year later they were opposition legislators in parliament.

Thus began the unholy alliance between the so-called civil society and opposition groups in Zimbabwe.

This is not to say that the church should not enter politics or criticise the incumbent Government, but they should not hide behind the "civil-society" cloak to pursue political ambitions.

They should side only with the truth.

In biblical times, two authorities represented the state: the Jewish authority — theocracy, and the occupying Roman authority.

Jesus addressed himself to each of these on several occasions.

He never associated himself with their activities, nor did his disciples.

Jesus’ attitude toward the civil authorities was non-violent.

He acted honourably and prophetically, uttering warnings and pronouncing severe judgments against evil, he never incited armed revolt, or prayed for the death of the Roman Emperor, like what some church leaders are doing in Zimbabwe.

This is why various analysts say that the Zimbabwean church, fronted by the likes of Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube of the Bulawayo Diocese, has negated biblical teachings, by dabbling in opposition politics.

Over the years the growth of the civil society has been one of the most significant trends in international development, and the understanding being that this section of society would partner the Government to better the lives of the ordinary people.

Thus civil society organisations have every right to voice discontent if they feel that the rights of the common man are being trampled, but the criticism becomes suspicious if it is directed even at those programmes meant to benefit the lives of the ordinary man, like what the Zimbabwean NGO community has done with the agrarian reform and clean-up programmes.

Analysts contend that while civil society has a watchdog role, this should never be used as a way of blocking engagements with Government or unseating democratically elected governments.

They point out that civil society should only be involved in constructive criticism to enhance the quality of life in host countries.

According to cultural luminary, Ngugi wa Mirii, the moment civil society fights against genuine social change, such as empowerment of the poor, it ceases to be relevant.

Although most civil society groups may have noble objectives and intentions, the way they have implemented the programmes has left a lot to be desired.

Some members of the so-called civil society are prepared to sacrifice Zimbabwe's sovereignty for the sake of donor funds.

Real civil society is funded by the people or community it serves, not by external powers. It seeks to improve the lives of the poor and not entrench the privileges of the elite.

The moment these groups receive western lucre, they become instruments of subversive western megaphone diplomacy.

This is true for organisations such as the Media Institute of Southern Africa, the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), Transparency International Zimbabwe, Crisis Zimbabwe Coalition, LRF, and CCJP to mention just a few.

On the pretext of agitating for good governance the NGOs have produced damning reports on Zimbabwe in which they allege human rights violations, one such NGO, Lovemore Madhuku's NCA, for instance has failed to substantiate its claims of gross human rights violations in the run up to the March 31 poll.

There are several disturbing reports that NGOs are being used by western governments as conduits to channel money to the MDC to circumvent the restrictions of the Political Parties Finance Act.

Jeff Krilla, director of the US based International Republican Institute (IRI), a subversive organisation that is funded by the US State Department revealed that the IRI is bankrolling the illegal regime change agenda in Zimbabwe by supporting various NGOs.

Krilla said that the IRI is using the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) and the US embassy to channel support to the MDC, and various NGOs.

The Private and Voluntary Organisation Act (PVOA) of 1996 which provides for the registration of NGOs has loopholes that were to be plugged by the Non-Governmental Organisations Bill.

The later, however, has been referred back to parliament for further deliberations.

Last year about thirty NGOs failed to account for more than US$89 million received from donors to finance developmental projects. Suspicion is rife that the funds could have been diverted to finance political endeavours.

It is widely believed that foreign governments are using non-traditional methods including working through aid agencies to destabilise less developed countries.

Last month, some members of the South African clergy joined hands with MI6 (British spy agency) to demonise Zimbabwe.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions are embedded with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions in pursuit of opposition politics and not the welfare of workers.

Thus claims to civil society lose legitimacy when such organisations fail to respect the aspirations and goals of the ordinary person and drive the community towards western universals.

Real civil society is vital for development because it fights for the empowerment of the ordinary person and the uplifting of livelihoods. It is not about driving posh cars, career work shoppers and obscene salaries for pseudo philanthropists.

Real civil society complements the Government to solve national problems, it acknowledges that all stakeholders have a contribution to make to national development.

A good precedent was set on July 15 this year when the NGO umbrella body Nango and nine other NGOs, among them the Girl Child Network, Mwengo, Poverty Reduction Forum, Seatini, Taking It Global, Zimcet, Zimcodd, Zero and Zwrcn condemned the outcome of the Group of Eight richest countries summit that was held in Gleneagles, Scotland from 6 to 8 July.

The groundbreaking statement said in part,

"It is lamentable that governance and human rights issues have been used to over- shadow Zimbabwe's legitimate claims to debt cancellation as an issue of social justice and as a condition sine qua non for Zimbabwe to effectively meet the socioeconomic development needs of its people.''

The first tentative steps were taken through this statement, all progressive people hope that this is a harbinger of the emergence of a genuine civil society that fights for the empowerment of the common man.

This is vital for today Zimbabwe is in the final decisive phase of the struggle that began in 1896 and our government needs a genuine civil society to partner it in the revolution.

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