CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS

 

 

 CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS

 

In the Process of Development and Democratization (*)

 

 

                                                                                    Erciş Kurtuluş

                                                                 Chairman, Toplumsal Saydamlik Hareketi Dernegi

                                                                            Transparency International - Turkey

                             

 

 

                             

INTRODUCTION

 

In order for citizens to have a greater voice in self-governance in a participatory democratic environment they need to be part of an organized disciplined group.  Such joining together to get a voice in governance may be through the vehicle of political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs).

 

Since most political parties do not allow a satisfactory outlet for free and easy and real  democratic participation by citizens for the reasons presented below, civil society organizations move to the forefront both in countries which are advanced democracies and those countries which are on the path toward democratization. (**)

 

In democratic regimes, CSOs are those where individuals join together to put forth their views and ideas in a structured way and have an effect on political and social life based on these aims.   

 

We believe that the reason for existence of CSOs is to play an effective role toward countries gaining a clean society, reaching a level of public governance which is transparent and free of corruption, and reducing the effect of distortions which occur in politicalization.

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(*)  Presented at the 7-8 November 2005 Conference of CSOs in Bahrain as part of G8-BNEMA Forum for the Future activities. 

(**)  In this paper, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) is considered in the limited definition.  It is not used in the western country definition of NGOs which includes all types of  non-government organizations or non-profit organizations.  In our view labor unions, and organization founded under each own special law such as sport clubs and career field chambers (lawyers, engineers, etc.) are not CSOs.

 

I am convinced that CSOs can make a considerable contribution toward democratization and modernization especially in those countries which have yet to reach a democratic structure and where certain small groups have grasped the leadership of political parties with the result is that it is impossible to break the leader sultanacy and this leader sultanacy is an obstacle to the free will of the people which is impossible to surmount.

 

However, in order for CSOs to succeed in filling this deficiency and have a positive contribution to a country’s democratic and social livelihood, its own structure and way of management must itself be free of degeneration, it itself must be transparent and trustworthy, and it must operate in accordance with principles of unselfishness rather than benefiting itself or its members.

 

Whenever careful measures are not taken we see in many countries that these CSOs quickly degenerate; they lose the trust of the public and instead of being useful to the society they wind up increasing public pessimism and snuffing out  hope.     

 

If we realize that in Turkey there are over a hundred thousand associations, foundations and organizations with similar legal status besides uncounted “entities” under the names of movements, platforms, groups, councils, committees whose legal status and structure are unknown who present themselves to the public as representatives of CSOs, the extent and seriousness of the situation is obvious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DUTIES WHICH CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD ASSUME

IN DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRATIZATION

 

 

 

What ways and means do CSOs need to use in order to succeed in making the considerable contributions which are expected of them to democratization, economic and social development and freedom of speech and increased participation in decision making in their countries.  Let us list them summarily:

 

-         -         Work to spread their thoughts and principles to the public in line with their founding principles

-         -         Work to ensure freedom of expression and freedom to join into groups for society

         and political activities

   -    Monitor development and activities of movements

   -    Strengthen dialogue and cooperation in their related fields with official

            authorities including giving recommendations

   -    Support the work of authorities when they are positive improvements

   -    Promulgate periodic reports on issues of their expertise (e.g. anti-corruption

         efforts, democratization), conduct checks on political incomes and expenditures,   

         and share reports, opinions and recommendations with the public and officials

    -    Hold open meetings to examine developments in the society with the contributions

          of experts (e.g., economists, lawyers, social scientists)

 

-         -         Identify the problems and try to find solutions that are within the areas they were  

             founded to pursue

-         -         Increase public awareness and keep the subjects alive on the public agenda by

         dealing with the media, establishing internet sites

-         -         Cooperate with other civil society entities which have developed expertise in

          similar areas

-         -         Follow developments related to their founding aims by international organizations

           and keep the public in their own countries aware of these developments

 

 

 

 

 

 

PREREQUISITES FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS

 

 

 

In order for CSOs to protect themselves against these dangers and not become degenerated, they need to follow these prerequisites:

 

1.  Voluntary and  Idealistic

2.  Wide, democratic membership

3.  Membership should be continuous

4.  Independence

5.  Widely representative and have a wide membership

6.  Legal status

7.  Be a transparent movement

8.  Be accountable to the public

 

 

1.  Voluntary and Idealistic

 

The activities of CSOs should serve the idealist desires of their individual members.  The underlying factor for creating and working for a CSO should be the desire to spread and activate the desires of like-minded members.  Those members who join a CSO should do so on this voluntary basis and not to further their own personal or business interests or as a matter of increasing their prestige or to further their professional careers.

 

Persons who assume duties in CSOs should not do so with the anticipation of any form of repayment.  CSOs should not be considered as a source of salaried employment;  voluntary service for the benefit of the aims of a CSO should be for the personal edification of its volunteer members.  When CSOs are used as the means for marketing certain persons and are turned into advertising vehicles, the creditibility and honorability of the organization are lost.

 

The factor of voluntarism, which is the essence of acting on idealism, is a prerequisite of taking on duties in CSOs.  Taking on the duties of membership and management in a CSO (outside of professional, paid services) should be entirely voluntary and the ideal of assisting society should be kept foremost.

 

 

2.   Wide, democratic membership

 

At the top of the list of dangers facing CSOs is the danger of such entities being the captives of certain groups aiming at pursuing their own benefit, or groups of friends, so that even those who have similar ideas and characteristics are kept out of membership.  Such groups of friends or members aiming at personal gain should not be considered civil society organizations.

 

Membership in CSOs and being in their management boards should be open to all.  Awareness and care should be taken to avoid CSOs becoming like those widely criticized political parties which have fallen into the clutches of limited and closed leaders who rule it like sultans.

 

3.   Long-term Membership

 

Those who wish to be members of a CSO should realize that this is a serious undertaking and it should be continuous and for a long-term, not a fashionable, temporary phase.

 

4.   Independence

 

CSOs should carry out their activities free and independent from all types of pressure and outside interference, guided only by their own thoughts, aims and principles.  Therefore they need to keep a careful watch against the influences of current political powers, financial powers, specific benefit groups, foreign points of power.  Most CSOs have difficulty securing financing to further their aims and the financing they secure should not compromise their independence.      

 

5.  Widely representative and wide membership

 

The value of a CSO should be directly proportional to the number and types of its active members, which increases its representational characteristic.  A group limited to those who are from a certain city or area or in a certain career field is not the kind of CSO we are referring to in this paper.  We mean an entity with a wide membership of citizens bound only by their idealistic views regarding the development of the society and which questions its general problems and works toward solutions, not groups which are aimed toward their own benefit.

 

6.   Legal status

 

It is essential that a CSO be seen as legitimate in the eyes of the populace.  The status of CSOs should be determined by the current laws of the State.  Otherwise, some groups which have no responsibility to the society and the laws and give no accountability to anyone, consider themselves to be representatives and act as if they are operating in the name of CSOs, but they actually damage the reputation of true CSOs.

 

Movements, platforms and other types of groupings should be limited to temporary groups which come together for a short period for a specific activity or aim.  Otherwise irresponsible groups with mistaken identities damage not only true civil society entities but the entire society pays the bill for this irresponsibility.

 

7.  Be transparent

 

CSOs should be transparent with information about themselves open to the public.  This includes their charters of foundation, aims, activities which support these aims, names and qualifications of their members, management boards, income and expenditures, and the audit mechanism of their financial matters.  The best way to insure this transparency is by establishing a web site where their information is shown.

 

8.  Accountablity

 

CSOs should be consciously aware of the necessity to give accountability to their own members and to the public at large about their activities, about the sources of financing their activities, and all types of expenditures.  Financial transparency is the most important vehicle to ensure trust and respectability in the eyes of the public.  It should not be forgotten how some entities ignored this approach, especially social aid CSOs (such as Red Crescent, Turkish Flying Organization) and their value dropped in the eyes of the public.

 

It is important to stress the seriousness of the issue of foreign-sourced funding which in recent years has been misused for private gain and has even begun to be questioned in the area of damaging national independence.  We should not ignore the fact that some sources still longing for the cancelled Sevres Treaty of 1920 seek a voice in Turkey by using certain CSO.

 

In line with this approach, the income and expenditures of CSOs should be audited by the Supreme Court of Accounts and the Ministry of Finance or independent audit entities each year.  Any inadequacies in the law should be rectified with legal modifications. 

 

 

CSOs should discuss these basic principles among themselves first of all and commit themselves to following them.  In coordination efforts, which have multiplied recently, increasing transparency in the structures of CSOs should be ensured under the guidance of these principles.

 

   

 

 

 

THE DANGER OF DEGENERATION IN CSOs

 

 

The rapid increase in the numbers of CSOs and their start in having a voice in society issues brings with it the danger of decay and dirtying of CSOs.  At the head of these dangers are:

 

    -    Loss of independence

              Falling into the service of interest groups

              Being guided by foreign power points

 

    -    Turning toward commercial activities

 

Parallel to the increasing importance of CSOs is the danger they face of  decay and being dirty.  There are two overall dangers facing CSO in this regard:

 

International entities, realizing the increasing importance of the issue, are giving important funding to strengthen CSOs, and these funds increase the appetite of certain language-qualified project hunters.  These funds are becoming the livelihood of such gain-seeking persons and groups who chase after this money and flit from one project to another project without having any values, principles or aims, thereby degenerating this very important event – the rise and proper development of CSOs.

 

Even worse, these persons and groups take on work which is really commercial consulting services by creating so-called CSOs and working under such cover.  This flow of decay is pioneered by certain international entities with the United Nations at the forefront.  For the sake of providing benefits to persons and organizations close to them, they actually blind the civil society movement.

 

Protecting CSOs from these risks of decay is possible only through financial independence.  Unfortunately, today some persons and entities like Soros provide funding and try to make sure it is used in support of their own ambitions.

 

The way to prevent this contradictory situation is for CSOs to sustain their activities with the contribution of their members with whom they share aims, ideals and principles.   

 

                 

THE DUTY OF THE GOVERNMENT IN POWER TO

STREGTHEN CIVIL INITIATIVES

 

*   Freedom of expression should be under the protection of the Government

 

*   The freedom to establish associations should not be limited and bureaucracy during 

         the establishment process should not be burdensome.  Submitting documentation

         that the CSO has been founded should be sufficient.  Pre-permission should not be

         required 

 

*   A basic aim of the political power in office should be to support CSOs and solicit their

        cooperation and opinions.  This should be for all qualified CSOs, not restricted to

        those CSOs close to the party in power

     

*   Develop a framework law regarding and encouraging the establishment,   

        operations, principles, financial audit, and responsibilities of CSOs

   

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

Civil Society Organizations will play an elevating role during the 21^st century in the democratization process and development of freedom in their countries and in bringing ethic values into greater importance in the society.  It should be the duty of us all to protect Civil Society Organizations from degeneration and from the diseases which are leading to the decay of political parties during this historical period.  With the aim to ensure this, it is imperative that the qualities which are sought for Civil Society Organizations and their members should be redefined based on the characteristics of the country, brought to life and carefully nourished.