“Civil society organisations have been abused rancourously by People’s Progressive Party Civic administration officials over issues of accountability and transparency. Some CSOs were denounced as a ‘mysterious group of critics of the PPPC Government, constantly spewing their venomous attacks under the disguise of various fronts masquerading as civil society organisations − some known, some unknown and some simply fabricated.’ Others were accused of being corrupt and functioning only ‘to collect money from the international community.’”
Former President David Granger cited these accusations by PPPC officials during his weekly Programme – The Public Interest – as an example of the Government’s adversarial attitude to civil society. He recalled that the President of Guyana affixed his signature to the resolution adopting the Charter for Civil Society for the Caribbean Community on 19th February 1997, over 25 years ago. The Charter required states to establish “a framework for genuine consultation among the social partners in order to reach common understandings on, and support for, the objective contents and implementation of national economic and social programmes and their respective roles and responsibilities in good governance.”
Mr. Granger noted that over one hundred civil society organizations, comprising a complex web of human activities, play important roles in civil and human rights, commercial, cultural, educational, environmental, ethnic, health, professional, religious, welfare, women, youth and other functions.
“CSOs could possess wide expertise and deep experience to address several social problems and contribute to protecting rights, promoting development and providing services in areas where the central government cannot be effective. Some community-based CSOs foster awareness of people’s rights and duties by assisting persons living with HIV and AIDS, protecting children from abuse and supporting women victims of violence,” Mr. Granger pointed out.
The PPPC poses the greatest challenge to civil society which it sees as an unelected group that can erode its electoral support and hinder its policies. That party, arguably, has been the greatest political beneficiary of civil society support but it has now become its fiercest adversary. He recalled that the Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy (GUARD) probably, was once the strongest CSO, aiming at electoral reform and attracting huge support. The PPP seized the opportunity to offer GUARD’s Chairman high party-political office, thereby destroying that organisation’s non-partisan, ‘civil’ credentials forever. The PPP, thereafter, cynically adopted the suffix ‘Civic’ to become PPP’C’ even though that component ceased to function in the years after the 1992 General and Regional Elections.
People make the nation. The PPPC government should govern, not for itself but in the interest of the people. The state has a responsibility to foster the effective functioning of CSOs which are building blocks of social cohesion. 󠄀 There is no place for abuse and incivility. Society is either civil or it isn’t, the former President said.
