‘Check NG0s with political leanings’
The new NGOs in Penang have broken from the traditional mould and are seen as lackeys of political parties.
Hawkeye, FMT
GEORGE TOWN: The chances are that if you throw a stone in Penang you are most likely to hit an NGO. In the last five years, the island has seen a mushrooming of non-governmental organisations.
The traditional NGOs champion causes like the disabled, environment and other social ills. But the new ones have dubious leaders and most of them are shadows of political parties.
One man who is very concerned with the unwanted rise of NGOs is Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak.
He wants the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to probe the rise of several NGOs here since 2008.
Rahmad said many of the new NGOs seem to be involved in the political and socio-economic issues in the state.
He said that the formation of new NGOs is healthy as it shows an acceptance of civil society and democracy here.
But at the same time, the issues and individuals behind such groups are seen as dubious at best, Rahmad claimed in an interview.
The new NGOs seemed to be championing political issues rather than the conventional norms such as the rights of the disabled or protecting the environment.
They seem to have exploited the loopholes in the ROS guidelines to form and name organisations, without any clear reference to how many members they have, submission of accounts and other criteria imposed by our watchdog of societies.
Dubious names
Therefore, the congress is encouraging ROS to investigate such organisations to ascertain if they are sincere and genuine, he added.
He said dubious organisational names have appeared in media reports together with individuals, who were previously unheard of in the local NGO scene here.
The new NGOs have organised protests – some turning violent, lodging police reports for all kinds of issues and in some instances, have tried to intimidate politicians such as the recent vandalism of a vehicle carrying PKR vice-president Tian Chua in Penang, Rahmad said.
“This is an undesirable attitude for those claiming to be NGOs. Such groups form the focus of a civil society where dialogues and forums are seen as the best platform to champion their struggle or objectives.”
Since Independence, Penang has been the home to an active collection of NGOs and civil societies with the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) as the leading light.
In the last decade, some NGOs in Penang have gone on to form the Penang Forum platform which meets on certain occasions to discuss issues dear to them.
Rahmad said the congress is appreciative of the contributions made by the likes of CAP and other NGOs such as the environmental group, SAM, but he is distrustful of the newer NGOs which seemed to be more interested in politics.
