Monitor NGOs and upstart parties, ROS told

Penang Malay Congress wants a check and balance system put in place to determine if they are representing genuine interests.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak wants the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to set up a committee to monitor the mushrooming of non governmental organisations (NGOs) and political parties since 2008.

It is not difficult to set up an NGO in particular, as all one needs is to furnish documents about the sponsors and the pro-tem line-ups, Rahmad, who is a former High Court officer said.

“However, whether the NGO is really a functional organisation, with inherent interests for the good of society, this has yet to be seen,” said Rahmad.

The ROS must act to prevent the abuse of good-natured objectives of genuine NGOs, particularly in Penang where he said about 10 bodies are already in existence since 2008.

“The is no law to bar the setting up of NGOs but the question remains whether they are representing genuine outfits. Some may be set up with ulterior motives.

“Some others may degenerate into extremist organisations by extolling issues and policies uncomfortable to a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country such as Malaysia.

“In a democratic setting, people are accorded their right to free speech, but there must be a check and balance in-place to prevent abuse. This is where the ROS comes in,” added Rahmad.

“It would be a joke if an NGO goes around preaching this and that, and later we find out that the only active member of such an organisation is just one person.

“People would laugh if they find out that this one person is the president, treasurer, secretary and committee member. How then would society have faith in other NGOs?”

Internal disputes

The ROS must verify if NGOs possess ulterior motives such as to enrich themselves at the expense of exploiting our social faultlines, made worst by the current polarisation levels.

“There are claims in Penang that some NGOs are receiving funds to demonstrate. They do not know what the struggle is all about.

“They just blindly protest. This is unhealthy as we should not abuse the sanctity of other NGOs and neither, should we abuse free speech,” said Rahmad.

The same principles, added Rahmad, must apply to new upstart political parties who may be active through the media but do not bother to reach out to the people for support.

“We need to have sincere and long-term minded NGOs or political parties. We have suffered for some four years over a heighten sense of a political stand-off.

“Nowadays, each political party, whether it is the ruling coalition or the opposition alliance seems to be embroiled in their own internal disputes,” he said.

“This is to an extent the basic principle of conducting party elections, are either postponed or its outcome, causes an open dispute among each other.

“Then, those aggrieved quit their respective parties and either form new parties or become Independent leaders.

“Does the country need such distractions?” asked Rahmad. “As our leaders become intensely distracted by politicking, the people are overlooked.”

“In Penang, there is a fear factor that the Malay political voice may be diluted if the leaders do not address the issues dear to the community.

“In this regard, the ROS can play a crucial role in vetting the formation of all NGOs and their activities,” said Rahmad.

[File pix of a recent protest organised by an NGO in Penang]