The NGO Trap

I always knew that ``our Holy Prophet`` and his life could be used to justify any kind of dishonesty on the face of this earth ....

Romair

I don`t see that you have anything new to add. You just took my answers and rephrased them. However, I do agree with you that I may be perceived as the part of the beast but I do not. In my opinion there are two ways to deal with the beast; either live with it and try to change the nature of beast from with in as our Holy Prophet did for the first 13 years of his Meccan life; now one can argue that since Holy Prophet used to live inside Meccan society therefore he shouldn`t have preached his ideas. Similarly another way is to get away from the beast when your personal safety is at stake and try to change it from outside like our Holy Prophet did for the last 10 years of his Medinite life. Now one can argue that since he stopped living in Mecca therefore it was inapropraiate of him to criticize the way of life of Meccan people. Unfortunately, I am accused in both respects, by you; when I criticize naPak fauj and its murderous policies you argue that I shouldn`t criticize it since I do not live in Pakistan; and when I criticize the masters of NaPak fuaj you tell me that I shouldn`t criticize it because I live in America. In other words you only hate my vision, my ideology and criticizing my vanue is just a cover because you do not have moral courage to refute or face my vision. Why don`t you admit that, it will only make you strong and not weak.

A part of my vision is that I do not consider Americans as inhuman beasts or devils who are hell bent on destroying anything that is decent and lawfull in the world. I do not think that all Americans approve of the plunder and looting that its government and capitalists have been doing around the globe with impunity. There are very strong voices with in America of Americans who want their country to be a kinder gentler, just, and law abiding citizen of the world. They are feeling the responsibility that they have to take charge to change the neo-imperial nature of America. In other words I am not alone in my thinking. In any conflict you only win the conflict when you convince your oponent of your point of view. As soon as he understand your point of view the conflict ends. You cannot convince your opponent by keeping your mouth shut. The venue is irrelevant.

Urstruly #15: `` Personally, I do not work for US government and neither I get any compensation from it in any shape or form.``

The US govt. provides you with the day to day facilities that you utilize. It provides you with security, roads, protection, etc. That is a compensation you get from the US govt. The company you work for pays taxes to the US govt., which are utilized by the US govt. to build up its defence forces, amongst other things.

``The US government on the other hand take way more than 1/3rd of what I make instead of paying me anything; but that is the part of social contract that I accepted while I adopted this country. It was my choice and not that US government forced me to accept the contract so I think it is fair.``

The US govt. doesn`t take the money from you. You are voluntarily giving it to the US govt. As opposed to giving it to the Pakistan govt. by living in Pakistan. It is through the money that you give to the USA govt. that the US govt. builds its military machine that, according to you, ``maipulate helpless third world countries.``

``if I find the use of this money as morally apprehensible then it is also my entitlement to express my dissent.``

The US govt. didn`t force you to live in the USA. You are doing that yourself, based on a capitalistic decision you have made. Why provide that money to the US govt., in the first place? It is like me giving money to someone I allege to be a murderer and then criticizing the individual for murdering others, while simultaneously utilizing services provided by the individual.

In essence you are part of the beast that you yourself criticize, and are benefitting from it. There must be a couple of pieces of missiles that are killing Iraqis that were manufactured by the money you are providing to the US govt. At the same time, you are criticizing NGOs in Pakistan.

By the way, why are you living in the USA in the first place? Why don`t you have the courage to leave, if you dislike it so much? You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?

hamidm

why do you have to be so angry and pissed all the time? It seems that you haven`t seen a good day in your life in a long while. I think overdone sarcasm is perilous to one`s own self.

urstruly,

.......thank you for exonerating edhi, burney, imran khan and particularly asma jehangir who i know is really hard on the madhab mad misogynist mullah ...........you know she is the special rapporteur for the un commission on human rights and a favourite in washington ?

............ in any case, the way the us government is kind enough to exempt your contributions to the organizations run by these good folk, so why don`t you stop stuffing your dollars into collection boxes for jihad at the local masjid in flint michigan ...............

.......... but what about other ngo`s like the red crescent society, the citizens foundation, hdf, and many others ?........... i know your ilk looses its shalwar at the mention of people like dr hoodbhoy, but these people have chosen to forgo lucrative careers in the us to serve your beloved abdul .... so why are you so peed off at them ?..... is it p-envy or the compulsive jerking of knees damaged by constant kneeling ?

p.s. sorry, but nobody understands your logic for staying on in the us and enjoying all the benefits like medicaid, food stamps, welfare checks, unemployment benefits, tax exemptions, ssi, state subsidized housing and student loans while continuing to badmouth the country - shame on you ! .......... ever been to a high school football game ?.......... just curious

fahadist

As a matter of fact I did give an alternative in my first post.

But first we must understand the concept of NGOs and how they work. The concept of NGOs is the brainchild of United Nations where it was conceived to help developing nations build local institutions, which are otherwise not possible because of lack of funds from local sources. The idea was that instead of giving aid money, intended for health and education etc., directly to the local governments, which are usually despotic and corrupt in third world countries, give this money directly to ``people`s organizations``. But then due to the pressure of these regimes now this money goes to people`s organizations thru the government channels. These organizations are required to submit their annual reports to the UN, which sanctions the funding to the orgs for the next year. The concept was great, but due to the corruption of governments and some corrupt local people these organizations have turned moneymaking machines. The Western interest groups and corporations saw the potential in these organizations to influence local populations and to promote their interests in third world countries. Some of these Western interests groups have political, ideological, monetary, and religious objectives that go very well against the best interests of the host country at large. The funding for such NGOs now comes directly to the individuals running them, without the knowledge of local governments because of the lack of legislation, corruption, and gross negligence and incompetence. According to United States law, if a person receives money from a foreign country to spend in US with political and ideological interests, then he must declare himself as a `foreign agent`. You might remember when Col. Qaddafi offered 4 billion dollars to Louis Farakhan to spend it on the betterment of black people in US but then Farakhan was told bluntly that he may accept this money but he must then declare himself as a `foreign agent` and government do have the right to revoke his citizenship if it deems fit. You see how they protect their own integrity, with so much aggressiveness. Why can`t we have such control on our affairs? Why it is not our right as citizen of Pakistan to demand government to safeguard our interests. Just ask yourself this question, that if we do not control NGOs then would it be possible for enemy states like India to infiltrate us and put people on its payroll to gnaw on our ideological foundations? Unfortunately that is exactly what is happening. And that is why in my first post I suggested that government must pass a law that all NGOs are required to generate revenue from local sources as donations, whereas at the end of the year government will match these donations. Only in that way we will be able to develop and sustain our local institutions otherwise how long we can rely on foreign handouts for our most basic needs of education and health care? That is the only way then these institutions will have their roots in the local society; they will have no other choice but to safeguard the interests of local population.

Romair

The formula is absolutely correct. Personally, I do not work for US government and neither I get any compensation from it in any shape or form. I work for a corporation, who pay me for the consultation services I provide. As a part of work agreement I safeguard the interests of this corporation to the best of my ability. To the best of my knowledge this particular corporation is neither involved in any endeavor to maipulate helpless third world countries and neither does it fund or support any efforts of the government of this country that involves the murder of innocent human beings elsewhere in the world; nor does it do anything to extract obscene profits from local or foreign population. As a corporation it respects individual freedoms and believes and do not show a political leaning one way or the other. This corporation does not require me to bad mouth my country; neither does it require to reveal any state secrets; nor it requires me to manipulate the fellow citizens of my home country. I am fairly and justly compensated. The US government on the other hand take way more than 1/3rd of what I make instead of paying me anything; but that is the part of social contract that I accepted while I adopted this country. It was my choice and not that US government forced me to accept the contract so I think it is fair. But it is also the part of social contract that entitles me to inquire US government as to what it is doing with my money; if I find the use of this money as morally apprehensible then it is also my entitlement to express my dissent.

Urstruly #10: ``It is simple 2+2; if I take money from Mr. X then I will safguard intersts of Mr. X and not of some Mr. Y, now wont I?``

Just out of curiousity, isn`t this exactly what you are doing? You are taking money from the USA completely (unlike the NGOs, which only partially take money from the USA). You are also putting money into the USA`s coffers (unlike the NGOs, which do not do this). And you are using the facilities offered by the USA.

So according to your own formula, whose interests are you gaurding? Either your formula is incorrect, or you are only applying it on everyone, but yourself...........

hamidm

You are dragging wrong people into the argument to validate a point that cannot be validated. People like Burney, Edhi, and Asma had been doing what they do for a long time, way before when the word `NGO` was not even introduced in Pakistan. Imran has created everything from idigenous resources. Outsiders might have helped but that help was not from the ``genocide manufacturers`` like PEW research and RAND corporation; instead kind hearted people from across the globe helped him in his noble effort. These are the people who provide the proof positive that not only we have create our own institutions, but we can do it better, more efficiently, and with respect of not having to beg for handouts from countries who in fact want to harm us. Have you ever seen these people saying anything bad about Pakistan? Never. On the other hand there are ex-commies-turned-capitalists like hoodbhoy and his ilk who whenever they speak they speak against our country, our religion, our history and our culture. They always find faults with us to please their masters in hope for more morsels. I am against those NGOs who are trying to harm us. They are funded by those so-called ``think-tanks``, which in fact work to provide ideological and moral justification to kill innocent human beings in far away countries and find ways to justify to their own peoples while their governments and corporations loot and plunder and kill innocent human beings in other lands.

Urstruly,

I am ready to totally back you in this initiative but do you have any alternative to educate the masses, raise voice against injustices and environmental issues and provide other facilities some of the ``good`` NGOs do??? It is very easy to yell and shout obscenity and threaten to throw people out compared to role up Ur sleeves and get down and dirty and actually do something. Unfortunately most pakis chose the easy way out and blabber and talk and discuss in their drawing rooms of HOW things would change and bothering little to do anything about it.

Gimme an alternative dude before blabbering more!

urstruly,

...... are you saying that people like asma jehangir, sttar edhi, sabeeh zaman, ansar burney and imran khan are agents of the imperialist crusaders ?........... these people are trying to do their best to save abdul from your bearded cohorts who want to him to become a suicider or a homicider .............. i know you think abdul will go to heaven and make love to forty buxom ladies and eat oodles of halwa for eternity, but what about his wife and kids .....

p.s. i know you fly off your handle when someone mentions asma jehangir but please try to watch your meems and noons - it is ramzan (or ramadhan) you know ...........

Cecil Messih # 5 aka Kaalay angraiz

The wrong with the NGOs is that they take money from Western neo-Imperialists and prepare ground work for their nefarious agenda to subjugate us physically and intellectually. In olden days there used to be missionaries to convert heathens and now in the days of secularism they have NGOs to convert subhumans into mindless subjects. It is simple 2+2; if I take money from Mr. X then I will safguard intersts of Mr. X and not of some Mr. Y, now wont I? In case you have a short memory, take the example of Afghanistan and Iraq, where NGOs first created a propaganda atmosphere where those socioeties were demonized to such an extent that when Imperialists committed acts of genocide in those countries not a single eye in those Imerpialist lands shed a tear for this dreadful loss of human life. And just look at yourself, what have you become after you received your `education` from them. You hate your own people more than anyone else, you belittle them and you spare no effort to shame them and humiliate them. people like you, whom they have created, are the reason enough to expell NGOs from our land so that we can stop our homeland from becoming an aparthied state, divided between superiors and inferiors. This is anti-human and we cannot just sit by and let that happen. Hasn`t enough damage been done by enligtened moderates (aka fornicators and drunkards) like Ayub and Yehya by losing half of the country due to their aparthied mindset? Enough is enough.

harimau

Plz take me off your list of bad guys, I have already sent my condolences the very day the dear departed us.

http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00004221&channel=civic%20center&start=30&end=39&page=4&chapter=1&order=0#39

Non-Governmental Organization or No Good Organization? it all depends on what they do, how they do it, and how much money they skim off doing it . . .

There are NGO`s in the UK such as Oxfam and Shirkatgah and WAF in Pakistan which have done and continue to do lot of good.

There are others which are just thinly guised scams, taking advantage of the legal loopholes in the definition of ``not-for-profit`` and ``charity`` which have served simply to fatten the bank accounts of scheming individuals.

Certain political parties in Pakistan have also set up so-called NGO`s which, obviously tout the party`s agenda of the moment, most often through pecuniary investment.

There have also been, and still are orgainzations taking advantge of the definition of NGO in Pakistan and spreading the most virulent form of sectarianism.

harimau

No cause to worry or get agitated.

Soon you`ll see, if Mulla Omar and / or Osama bin Laden get captured, these very people will start clamouring for the protection of their human rights.

Urstruly,

....... can you tell me what is wrong with ngo`s like ``the citizen`s foundation`` and many others like them who are providing an alternative to your cherished madrassas that breed suiciders and homiciders ?........

............. and how many children in pakistan have you helped to ``educate`` that did not end up dying a dog`s death in afghanistan or kashmir ?

............ stop ranting and put your money were your maswak-laden mouth is ...... send your contribution to: http://www.thecitizensfoundation.org ..........

...............however since you are a loyal american and want a tax refund from your favourite uncle you can send your money to: http://www.yespakistan.com/hdf/


jazak allah khair or whatever !