View

Role of 'social forces'

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-31 08:13

To many, the contrast is too obvious.

On one hand, the minister of civil affairs, whose institution oversees social work and various public service programs, has just issued a call for "social forces", that is, non-government organizations, to participate in public service programs traditionally taken care of by civil affairs authorities.

On the other, non-government charitable organizations are fighting to survive. Not because they cannot support themselves, or deliver the services needed.

In fact, non-government charitable organizations have turned out to be a precious, and, in many ways, indispensable supplement to government relief programs in recent years, from the Wenchuan earthquake to the Yushu mudslide and many others.

However, some non-government organizations complain that they cannot independently handle their own accounts due to the stipulation that all non-government organizations in this country, charities included, must be attached to an official establishment. And the registration procedures are complicated.

The tangible roles that charitable organizations play in difficult times, as well as the prominent impact they exert, has garnered substantial trust from the general public.

One simple truth is that so far we have received no report of major abuse by non-government organizations. In the mean time, there have been reports of the misuse of funds and embezzlement in the public offices in charge of resources for disaster relief. And that is not to mention bureaucratic inefficiency.

Ours is a country vulnerable to natural disasters with a constant need for charitable contributions. The practical achievements of non-government charitable organizations mean there is a logical desire on the authorities' part to tap into their goodwill.

The non-government charitable organizations' survival crisis is at least in part a result of attempts to sustain the de facto monopoly over charitable undertakings.

The authorities of course have their own concerns. For instance, they have expressed concern over the lack of transparency, which is legitimate. That no major scandal has been exposed in non-government charitable organizations does not mean there never will be.

And transparency will definitely be conducive to the credibility of such institutions.

We are fully in favor of any effort to make transparency an obligation upon all those participating in charitable undertakings. However, the authorities should take measures to create a more friendly environment for the non-government charitable institutions not only to survive, but prosper.