Punishing NGOs for no reason is oppressive

Officials of the NGOs Coordination Board when they announced the de-registration of non-compliant NGOs n December 16,2014. FILE

What you need to know:

  • The move by the NGOs Coordination Board to deregister the organisations raises fundamental constitutional and moral questions.
  • Yet the mainstream Muslims do not support terrorism; it is fanatics pursuing a perverted ideology that promote the evil.
  • If the NGOs are engaged in illegal activities, let that be made public. Otherwise, punishing them without reason is oppressive and undemocratic.

Two non-governmental organisations whose certificates of operations have been cancelled have come out forcefully to challenge the move, arguing they were not engaged in any subversive activities.

Moreover, they reckon that nobody has formally communicated the decision to them, as they only got the information through the media, raising questions about the process of handling these organisations.

The move by the NGOs Coordination Board to deregister the organisations raises fundamental constitutional and moral questions.

First, whereas the board has the authority to deregister NGOs, that must be justified through evidence indicating the treasonous or illegal activities such organisations may be involved in.

Thus far, the argument being put forward is that the organisations may be supporting Al-Shabaab, but nobody has provided proof.

In the absence of evidence, it would be argued that the organisations are being victimised just because they support Muslims, who by default, seem to be targeted in the war against terrorism.

PERVERTED IDEOLOGY

Yet the mainstream Muslims do not support terrorism; it is fanatics pursuing a perverted ideology that promote the evil.

Secondly, the NGOs board is aware of the constitutional provision on the freedom of association. Everyone has a right to associate and unless there is a compelling reason to curtail that, freedom must be respected.

Third, there is a tendency in recent times to accuse civil society organisations of all sorts of evils in the country, even when there is no proof to support that claim. It is part of the drive to kill independent voices and constrict the democratic space, and that is not acceptable.

The NGOs board has a mandate to enforce law and order among the civil society organisations, but that must be exercised judiciously. If the NGOs are engaged in illegal activities, let that be made public. Otherwise, punishing them without reason is oppressive and undemocratic.