REFLECTIONS ON CIVIL SOCIETY – GOVERNMENT RELATIONS IN UGANDA
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Transcript of REFLECTIONS ON CIVIL SOCIETY – GOVERNMENT RELATIONS IN UGANDA
REFLECTIONS ON CIVIL SOCIETY – GOVERNMENT RELATIONS IN UGANDA
Under Construction - Work in Progress
Remarks by Arthur LAROK at Panel Convened at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Sep 20th Pennsylvania, USAEm
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Preliminary RemarksSetting the Scene and Conceptual
Clarity • Glad to join you albeit from a
distance, thousands of miles away
• Thought of best way to capture the essence of the subject , zeroed on - under construction
• Despite challenges in construction, it is work in progress because we relish end product
• CSOs - Beyond NGOs: FBOs, Professional Assoc, Movements, CBOs, Academia, etc
Where we are coming fromHistorical and Enduring
Tensions Tensions because nature of state
formation and evolution of civil society
Pre-independence movements to proxies in the Cold War and especially birth of N G O ism
Recruitment ground for Political Parties, Liberation Movements - Students, Unions, Co-ops
Almost complete take over of services during periods of dictatorship and state failure/collapse
Now -still difficult but more complimentary as boundaries get fuzzier
Key Defining FeaturesPolicy, Institutional, Normative
Frameworks The Country Constitution informed
by history and aspirations for belonging in a democratic league
Unstable Constitutional Order and several rather regressive legislations - NGO Act, Terrorism, Public Order, Interception of Communication
Largely informed my a narrow state-centric notion about CSOs and what they ought to be doing
Key Defining FeaturesContd... On their part, civil society inspired
by international ‘consensus’ on rights and freedom for democratic league of nations
And also by their reading and interpretation of the situation on the ground and their location
At the end of the day, the tension between state and civil society is healthy for the country even it bruises the parties involved
State - Civil Society RelationsA Pendulum Theory of State
Behaviour
CooperationRepression
State Behaviour
Theory of State - CSO RelationsWhat determines Pendulum
Swings Relative comfort (esp. political) of
government with what CSOs are doing and wider political effect
Larger political pressures on government by both internal and external actors and processes
The level of courage and conviction by civil society, especially their leaders
International relations and image consciousness by government (rights respecting league of nations)
Where we are at presentMixed Picture - Back and Forth!! Carrot and stick with tendencies of
repression and cooperation co-existing
Cooperation: supplementing service delivery, mobilizing community resources or for them
Essentially doing what government is ordinarily supposed to do...and makes them claim credit
It therefore depends on what you do, say and how you behave
Where we are at presentMixed Picture -Contd’ Move towards Repression
when...CSOs are ‘politically incorrect’ and state uses the tactics of:
o De-legitimization (as supporters of homosexuality, agents of foreign interests, taking away jobs with expatriates, etc)
o Isolate leadership from organisation and thus threaten, foment internal fear and discord
o Non compliance with laws and regulations (the trap that the NGO Law and other regulatory requirements are)
o Direct interference in activities and diversion from our work to fighting other battles
So, again depending on the organisation, effects vary considerably
The CSOSI Process in UgandaBenefits so far... A diverse and mixed panel that
brings together rich knowledge, wider ownership and cooperation, even with government
Mix of scientific statistical methods and informed opinions leading to an acceptable consensus
Cross country product and thus puts Uganda in a regional and global context -eases debate
The only consistent piece of work that focuses on the evolution and trends in civil society - others come and go
The CSOSI Process in UgandaHow we have used it so far...
The CSOSI Process in UgandaHow we have used it so far...
Contd’ Evidenced based tool for
engagement in the NGO Policy formulation and legal reform processes and in the resurgent spirit of dialogue between CSOs and Government at national and district level
Acting as an impetus to identify areas for continued focus as we seek to improve
Contributes to regional efforts such as CSO partnership principles and agenda for East Africa CSO Forum
Government - CSO Relations Looking Ahead... Better domestication of CSOSI
process and have regional based panels as there are emerging serious regional disparities due to leadership behaviour
Improve Local dissemination and this requires a discussion on possible rebranding for political and ownership reasons
Take advantage of the resurgent spirit of cooperation and dialogue and use CSOSI outputs as basis for engagement
Closing WordsCitations and further
information Most of the points based on
intimate connection to the process in Uganda and reflections
The Pendulum Theory developed from a presentation to NGO Leaders by Dr. Frederick Golooba Mutebi
For more information, please contact our NGO Platform - the Uganda National NGO Forum on www.ngoforum.or.ug
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