Why these fetters on NGO activities?

ISN'T it a close-door policy that is out of date by eons? The government has asked the NGOs to seek its permission before they invite foreigners and take them out on field trips to projects. Even organising meetings and seminars has come under the stipulation. On a lighter vein, this is a somewhat small-minded attention being paid to details smacking of nit-picking. But to be serious, this amounts to immobilising, even strangulating, the NGOs of the dynamic variety.

The government cannot be unaware of the salutary impact the NGOs have had on the socio-economic lives of general masses. Starting from awareness building on various issues to poverty alleviation, education, women's empowerment, micro-credit-based self-employment, there is hardly any field where they have not left their imprint. As a matter of fact, the NGO success stories have enhanced the image of Bangladesh abroad, to say nothing of improving some vital socio-economic indicators. The essential thing to note is that the NGOs flourished largely because of non-interference of the government in their functioning.

There may have been stray incidents including controversies surrounding alleged politicisation of some NGOs but imposition of sweeping restrictions is tantamount to throwing the baby with the bath water. Let's say, a foreign expert has planned to visit a time-bound water or sanitation project the NGO Bureau will presumably give the trip a go-ahead after a thorough verification of his credentials. There may be inordinate delays in attending to such requests on a case-by-case basis.

This is a sure formula for virtually scuttling the project. The Bureau, as it is, is gasping for breath with a minuscule manpower to carry out its legitimate functions like overseeing the audited accounts of the NGOs. The restrictions can easily spawn corruption. So, the realistic approach would be not to insist on prior permission but to ask the NGOs to make a post-facto report on any special programme activities they might undertake. The government will, therefore, be well advised to withdraw the new restrictions immediately for the good of the NGOs, the people and the country.

In most of its public announcements lately the government has assured all concerned that it is only interested in facilitating NGO activities, not impeding them. Don't the latest restrictions negate such pious pronouncements of the government?