Editorial
TIB report on NGOs
Good work must be supported by good management
The study "Problems in good governance in the NGO sector: The way forward" published by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has caused quite a stir in various quarters, with a conspicuous knee-jerk reaction from the NGO sector itself. The study termed the NGOs a mid-level corrupt sector that lacked transparency and accountability having irregularities in their dealings. Among the more scathing accusations are: many of them bribe officials to get registered with the government; some exist only on paper; they are accountable to donors only and not to the beneficiaries; only a few NGOs receive 90 percent of the resources from donors and so on. The NGO leaders found those accusations leveled against the entire sector on the basis of the activities of only 20 organisations as "sweeping comments" and voiced their protest through Association of Development Agencies of Bangladesh (ADAB) and Federation of NGOs (FNB).
It is possible that the TIB study would generate plenty of debate in the future with both sides coming up with arguments to prove their points. But we feel what all parties should keep in focus is the indelible fact that a good number of NGOs have worked diligently throughout the decades to bring about significant changes in the socio-economic conditions in society. They have left their mark in creating mass awareness about the importance of primary education, girl child education, childhood disease control, primary disease control, sanitation, maternal and neonatal mortality, human trafficking, self-employment through vocational training and empowerment of women. We know that the model of non-formal education and oral rehydration therapy called ORS to save child mortality from diarrhoea have been taken up in many countries of the world. Today Bangladesh hosts the world's largest NGO, BRAC, which has a unique history of community mobilisation for social development beginning in a nascent Bangladesh. The impact of the good work of such NGOs, excepting that of some, have gone deep in the communities by now. Therefore, we believe there is no scope to denigrate or deny the relevance of the sector in Bangladesh. Dispassionate studies might show that the contribution of the sector weighs more than corruption and irregularities existing in some form.
To our understanding, the TIB study is an attempt at bringing forth the shortcomings in the state of management or governance of the NGOs and the loopholes that make some elements of corruption seep through. The number of NGOs has grown significantly and large amounts of funds have come into the country from the donors over the years but the aspect of good governance has not grown concomitantly in the sector barring a few exceptions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the internal governance system of the NGOs, particularly in financial management. Quite often small NGOs lack capacity for strict financial discipline that lead to waste, mismanagement and corruption. NGOs must have stricter auditing and such audit reports should be made available to the public. We believe putting them on the website would be an idea worth looking into, as that would make the sector more transparent.
We have a hunch that the issue of corruption in the TIB study got blown out of proportion and the NGO leaders missed out on the recommendations given therein. At the same time we reiterate our conviction that many NGOs have done commendable work and nobody should use the TIB report to either undermine or control them. NGO leaders, on the other hand, must take the recommendations of the report seriously. Otherwise, a good opportunity will be missed to improve the work of our NGOs.
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