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NGOs blast govt for regulatory step

ADAB, FNB call it unconstitutional, inappropriate

Staff Correspondent
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) irrespective of their relations with thegovemmentyesterday took a swipe at the ruling coalition for its move to amend an NGO regulatory ordinance.
They described the Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities)
Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2004 as unconstitutional and inappropriate for private voluntaryagencies.
The Federation of NGOs in Bangladesh (FNB) and the Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh (ADAB), two apex bodies of development organisations, said the government took
the move to tighten ils grip on the NGOs and dubbed the proposed bill as a blueprint to harm them.
The bill intended to modify the 1978 ordinance is now lying with the parliament secretariat and will be-placcd in parliament next week, sources said.
TknJJKTR anH AnARcavthnmnvA will turn the private voluntary organisations into another set of departments of the government that has adequate regulations for NGOs.
At a meeting with Chairperson Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury in the chair, the FNB in a resolution said the 1978 ordinance was intended to ensure proper utilisation of foreign donations received by the NGOs.
ADAB Chairperson Qazi Faruque Ahmed in a statement alleged the 2004 amendment would help the government establish absolute control over the NGOs and make them toe the line of the four-party alliance by taking over their management, funds, resources and the authority to work independently.
"We feel the proposed amendment is simply monstrous and, if enforced, it will severely restrict the space for NGOs' operation and make all their pro-people programmes collapse," the state-mentsays.
The ADAB alleges the government's purpose is not to establish transparency through effective action against an NGO for irregularities but to take over that NGO to carry out its own political agenda.
The statement described as illogical the provision for taking action against an NGO when an individual of the organisation is involved in irregularities.
The way the bill defines the terms - irregularities, maladministration and political activity - is vague and ill-intentioned, the organisation says.
Aroma Dutt, executive director of government-blacklisted NGO PRIP Trust, says: "This move will make people poorer. We have been working for the last three decades and the development model of Bangladesh is known world-wide."
"No NGO is involved in politics. If an NGO talks about class struggle or poverty alleviation and that is perceived as politics, it will be sad. The move is aimed against destroying a few selected NGOs," Aroma says, terming the proposed act as repressive.
She levelled charges against the Jamaat-e-lslami, a ruling coalition partner, and said: "Jamaatdoes not want women's empowerment. The government has targeted those NGOs that work for them."