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Topic Discussion III
Participation in
Democratic Decision-Making:
The Vital Voices of Women, Civil Society and
Pluralism
Room 5
(11 of 22 pages)
Speaker (Ageman): You're right. In Guyana, I think what is happening to
bring down this fear element is that the non-governmental organizations are building networks among themselves
to provide a larger forum for interacting with government. Also, we're involving government ministers all the time
in our activities. For instance, my center, whenever we have a program, we make it a point to invite a prominent
government functionary, either to [inaudible] or the contribute to their discussions, as a role of bringing them
to understand what we are doing.
Because if you separate and if you operate at different levels, then that suspicion persists. So I am talking about
involving government functionaries all the time in the activities of NGO. That's one thing we do.
Secondly, we also try to invite ourselves to activities organized by government, so that we can also have the opportunity
to express ourselves to them. One issue currently is this notion of funding. You know, governments in most emerging
democracies are a little bit suspicious and may be envious of the fact that the donor community seems to be putting
more money through the NGOs, monies that they feel should have come to them and I can understand that. But I do
on this a reflection of how historically governments have abused this privilege of getting monies or whatever in
the service of their country and this is leading to, I guess, some donor communities to begin to look for alternative
means of carrying out certain programs that used to be carried out by governments.
So that is another source of the concern. In fact, in my view, that could be a major concern for the government.
They can't do nothing much about it, but the fact that they don't have access to these funds coming in is creating
some kind of discomfort for governments and that also might tend to intensify the fear factor.
But I feel ultimately what is important for us to do is to have a kind of working relationship so transparent that
there will be no room for either side to suspect what the other side is doing and that is what we are trying to
do in Guyana.
Chair: Thank you. That's not always easy coming out of a history where there's been had to be covert operations.
People have to recognize that when they've got a new political change. Anyway, the next speaker.
Moses Katjiuongua: Thank you, Moderator. First was the correction you made about the voting....
Chair: I'd just ask you to introduce yourself.
Moses Katjiuongua: My name is Moses Katjiuongua. I come from Namibia, I've been a parliamentarian for almost
ten years. Now I have resigned to challenge the president in the next election. There's no law against hope they
say.
First is about the correction that you made about the voting power of women in America and the world. People sometimes
take for granted I think the comparison that was made by the professor over there. People sometimes think that
because the U.S. and other countries have been democratic for so many years, equally the women had the right to
vote at that particular point in time.
Also, when you make the comparison of women in the West, U.S. in particular, not becoming president, I think one
of them tried to become vice president with Walter Mondale, Geraldine and it didn't work out. It was an attempt.
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