2016 Jul 25
by a Valuable Contributor
Warning: This post would trigger serious responses of criticism. Please do note that this is only my point of view to which I have the right to be entitled to.
Working for the past few years with International Organisations, NGO’s, INGO’s and other International Aid giving or charity organisations, I have come to the realisation of one thing. The whole idea that they project about being a tool of development in a country and how developing countries like ours is in need of their help is an absolute farce. This is not to say that they aren’t of any help but, to say that what they claim to be doing in our country is not really on the same page as what they should be doing.
This is where most of you would disagree. You’re going to tell me to take an organisation like the United Nations for example. Look at all the work they are doing in the suburbs and the city. The lives they try and pull out of the vicious poverty cycle. Statistically, the amount of houses they’ve built or the amount of funds they’ve given us since day 01 would speak for themselves, but looking at it critically, given the amount of time and priority the country has given to these IO’s, have they really done or contributed as much as they could have?
I’m not the bent down communist that would say that these organisations were only tools by the west to implement their destructive agendas on the rest of the world. Or like Karl Polanyi said, such organisations are simple means of destroying the social fabric of those caught between the giants in the West. This article would rather not engage in analysing the past as much as it would dwell in the present. Let’s look at this from a common man’s point of view – one with no understanding of history or politics. What about International Organisations? Are they of as much use as they claim to be?
The reasons as to why I questioned the existing norms is because the following thoughts crossed my mind. 1. Our inequality gap seems to be getting bigger, 2. Corruption is rampant and IO’s don’t seem to be doing much about it and 3. It’s been a few years since the war has ended, have these international organisations really made much change?
Let’s look at these points in detail now. The international poverty line has been set at $ 1.90 a day, that’s about LKR 278.18. So a simple definition of the poverty line goes on to say that this figure provided is the estimated minimum level of income needed to afford basic necessities required for living. So per month, we can amount it to $57 that roughens up to about LKR 8345.37. This is what out Census Dept had to say “Official Poverty line at national level for June 2016 is Rs. 4123”. This can be argued to be why our incomes are considerably much lower than the rest of the world. The funny thing being how prices rise every single day, and now with VAT problems and other financial related issues, the common man finds it very hard to live a normal with a normal spending pattern, with the little income he/she gains. And this needless to say, seems to only be getting worse with time. Our country is headed to a point where the income inequality gap is getting wider and wider apart and would reach a point with a very wealthy rich class and a very poor lower class and nearly nothing in the middle. The current middle class either seems to be joining one of the two spheres. Sadly, most of them heading towards the lower one.
Corruption just doesn’t seem to go away does it? Again this isn’t something I would need to enlighten you upon seeing that this subject we are all well aware. The recent events of our past Royal family’s visits to the CID and their much needed jail-time reiterate this.
My third question, why has there been so little development even after it’s been almost 7 years since the war? I get it, it was a 25 years, 9 month, 3 weeks and 4 days long war and you can’t expect development to happen in a jiffy given the amount of reconstruction war torn areas required. But it’s been over 5 years, a beacon of development that wouldn’t account us plunging ourselves into a mountain of debt needs to shine, fast.
Now my insight into why NGO’s are really not of much help to our country;
- Profit Motive – strings attached
My explanation and reasoning goes back to my siding with communism. From great initiatives like the Marshall Plan or the Washington Consensus to projects that IO’s have started and brought to fruition in our country, they all carry some amount of influence from the big guns, namely the West. This “Strings attached” policy that is not so publicly exclaimed stunts our race towards developments and makes certain that poor countries like ours is stepped down, oppressed and prevented from raising our heads. If this is the status quo, we will always be poor. We will always be under-developed and we will always be dependant. - Lack of representation
How much progress would you really expect an initiative or project to have if someone in Geneva or Washington is telling you it’s the best? Being very educated and having tons of experience working with countries as such and projects of sort, addressing common issues can give those in the headquarters the upper arm, but think about it really, how ‘right’ are the decisions they make?
Local representation is key when making bigger decisions. Democracy needs to be in full play and by this I mean that these organisations need to be a form of representation of the local community and not their own. - Political agendas
How far do you think IO’s stick to the claim that they are indeed governed by the pure humanitarian will? Politics will reign, it will always succeed like it did the years before you and I even knew what development was. Sri Lankan politics is another cultural achcharu. We have heads of state, minister and local representatives so freely exhibiting acts of corruption whilst at the same time, those responsible for ensuring that such acts are inhibited and those that preach the importance of good governance, i.e, most International Organisations are also a part of the same plight.
Those in power, even inside these organisation at country, regional or international level will try their best to secure their names and their pay-checks. Why else do these organisations mandated against unfair and corrupt governance watch and ignore as acts of corruption happen right under their noses? Politics, my friend.
This is a surface level analysis as to why International Organisations are not really of much use as they claim to be. We need help if we are to move from the periphery in the years to come. These organisations were set up with the aim of paving a way out of poverty for those struck by it, but human nature and the nature of the status quo has forced these organisations and those representing it to take a different mark. Sadly, it is one that involves more pursuing of their interests and less of ours.
Disclaimer: This article has been written by an individual who by no means has any affiliation to pulse.lk or the editorial. The sole purpose of the writer is only to educate the public with a wholistic view of the bigger picture and not to bash any individual or organization. This article by no means holds the view of pulse.lk or the editorial.
