Foreign funding

foreign-funding

Foreign donations have been defended by the proponents as being legitimate means of obtaining operating capital. Groups such as Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), Merdeka Centre, Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) are among the few grantees of such aid.

These funds are obtained from agencies such as Open Society FOundations (OSF), National Democrat Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI) to name a few.

The organisations that provide these benefactions have objectives that need to be fulfilled by the donee. However none of the objectives involve feeding the poor, clothing the needy or any other form of humanitarian relief.

Instead they prefer political struggles. Ironically enough, all of the recipients are to some extent politically inclined.

Some seek to empower the LGBTIQ groups while others want to change the democratic process altogether. Countries like Singapore and Russia have taken stern action(s) against LGBTIQ camps.

Russia bans gay rights movements within her boders. Singapore recently blocked funds for an LGBTIQ rally. Despite being a close ally of the USA, Singapore was not spared when it comes down to minority rights. 

Ostensibly, minorities in today’s world does not refer to any particular race or religion, it can be any type of ideology or behaviour. Even if an act is clearly against the law of a nation it can be challenged blatantly. 

All in all the main objective of these movements is to amend policies that are seen as being unfavourable. Bersih is one such organisation that strives to make amendments to the current legal system.

Though they gather with the pretext of “peaceful assembly”, the reality is much different.

In one of the episodes of their rallies a police car was overturned. Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident. Coming to think about it, things could have been much worse.

In another rally by Bersih, the participants allegedly urinated en masse along the path of their struggle. Being fair to Bersih, they could not have possibly controlled such a large crowd. 

However, knowing that such a large assembly is difficult to control, the lesson has not been learned. They insist on organising another event this year too.

Likewise elsewhere massive demonstrations started with the pretext of peace and ended up with violence. Violence that will take years to resolve, with the collective casualties amounting to millions. 

If we ever see peace in these lands again someday in the future, there is much left to do. The economies have been crushed, the infrastructure destroyed to the ground.

Reconstruction effort can take years if not decades. The American government pumped billions into Iraq, and a decade later we are yet to reach pre-war level of developments let alone surpass them.

Political change might be imperative, but the process should be holistic and take into consideration the greater good of a country.

Reflecting on historical events, Vladimir Putin’s government took measures to ban funds from NED entirely.

Foreign assistance is still allowed and groups that want to keep on receiving endowments would have to register with the Russian Justice Ministry as “foreign agents”.   

“Agents” would have to file a report to officials on a quarterly basis. Maybe the Malaysian government could emulate this policy.

After all, transparency was the reason that inspired their plight in the first place. Maybe it is time to practice what they have been preaching all this while. 

The staggering bit about these sponsors is that their own policies that are opaque in nature.

NED has four satellite institutes operating under their purview, American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS), the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), and the International Republican Institute (IRI). 

The activities of these subsidiaries are not reported to the American Congress. Apparently in this case, transparency is a relative term.

We should rightfully expect politically tilted NGOs to come clean about their spending habits. Practice should start with those who preach, so as to set an example for the rest.

Albeit the aspiration of these rallies was for human rights, in the end it was their own struggle that failed them.

Rehan Ahmad Bin Jamaluddin Ahmad

Research Fellow, Insitut Kajian Strategik Islam Malaysia (IKSIM)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, and should not be attributed to, Isma or Ismaweb.

The post Foreign funding appeared first on Portal Islam dan Melayu.

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