The New Nation - Internet Edition

NGOs in Bangladesh have increasingly become subject to questions and criticism from the government, intellectuals and the public in general. During the long process of NGO development in Bangladesh, many NGOs have empowered themselves with structures and buildings, while empowerment of the poor has been rather limited. NGO activities and expenditures came under fire in the National Parliament and other fora in 1999.

An NGO Affairs Bureau (NAB) report submitted to the Prime Minister's Secretariat earlier in 1992 stated that various NGOs had disbursed 1.5 billion Taka without prior State permission in the financial year 1990 to 1991. Quite often, large amounts of money come into the country illegally, it said.

NGOs are required to prepare annual reports on their activities within three months of the end of the financial year and send copies to the NAB, the relevant Ministry, Divisional Commissioner(s), Deputy Commissioners and the Bangladesh Bank. The state and its machinery have from time to time introduced several rules and procedures, but due to their complexity and the weakness of the state, NGOs can easily evade them.

A recent Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) research study presented at the Cirdap Auditorium in Dhaka painted a bleak picture of NGOs. TIB Trustee Board chairman Professor Muzaffar Ahmed told the meeting that 'due to lack of transparency and autocratic attitude of the NGO chiefs, an environment is created where corrupt practices become obvious. They are not accountable to the beneficiaries, rather to the donors.’

BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association), on the other hand, early this year demanded independent investigation of activities of some NGOs and cancellation of their registration. According to BGMEA leaders, US-based National Labour Committee (NLC) in cooperation with the Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity (BCWS) was making all-out efforts to tarnish the image of the country.

The TIB study found that the NGO activities are inflated to the donors to bring money for addressing problems that are actually artificial. The study says that due to weak institutional framework, the NGO Affairs Bureau cannot monitor the NGO activities.

Akbar Ali Khan, chief of the Regulatory Reforms Commission, has observed that NGOs must go through massive reforms to benefit the poor. A former bureaucrat and former adviser of the caretaker government, he was critical of the NGOs for moving away from its original mission of empowering poor people into moneymaking.

The Federation of NGOs in Bangladesh (FNB), a new apex body of NGOs, was formed in 2003 as the Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh (ADAB) was opposed for its involvement in politics. The FNB, however, reacted strongly to the recent disclosure of facts in the TIB study and also the comment passed by its Chairman.

Most Bangladeshi NGOs are totally dependent upon foreign funds. The volume of foreign funds to NGOs in Bangladesh stood at just under 18 percent of all foreign "aid" to the country in FY 1995-96, according to reports.

Donors influence government policy on NGOs and this often weakens the regulatory control over them. The Local Consultative Sub-group on NGOs in 2003 expressed its concern that investigations into five NGOs were still ongoing. 'To date, the duration of the investigations ranges from 10 - 17 months. The current situation is preventing access by the 6 NGOs to over 700m Taka in donor funds,’ the Sub-group observed.

However, small NGOs are supported also by the government-controlled Palli Karma Shahayok Foundation that has become a major source of fund for the organisations involved in micro-credit operation. The Asian Development Bank runs a project to build the institutional capacity of female-headed NGOs in order that they can qualify for Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) funding.

Against this backdrop, the TIB recommendation for 'a) formation of an independent umbrella body to monitor the NGOs’ activities, b) formulation of a guideline for formation of governing bodies, c) making all information of the NGO’s available to the stakeholders, d) holding the NGOs accountable to the government, donors and beneficiaries’ gives credence to government initiatives taken in the past to regulate their activities. Particularly such NGOs which, in the eyes of the business leaders, work against the interests of the country and its exports need to be brought under strict control.