Yonas Abiye
1 January 2009
Addis Ababa — A panel discussion among stakeholders of the draft law providing for civil society organizations establishment and operation was cancelled due the absence of representatives from CSOs, The Daily Monitor has learnt.
The reason given for their absence at the event organized by state TV and Radio and pro-government Radio Fana was that they were not properly invited for the important event where outstanding issues surrounding the law was top on the agenda.
Although senior government officials including Birhan Hailu, Minister of Justice, Birhanu Adelo, Head of the Office of Prime Minister and Jimma Dilbo, Head of Association Registration with Ministry of Justice, including a leading opposition politician Lidetu Ayalew were present for the discussion, the meeting could not proceed in the absence of vital stakeholders the law concerns the most.
Sources close to the issue told The Daily Monitor the absence of the CSOs was a clear manifestation of frustration over the controversial NGO bill.
"They simply are not interested to engage in a discussion on an issue already decided up on," the source said on conditions of anonymity.
"The CSOs have lost any hope they might bring any change on the draft bill that would most probably be endorsed by the House of People's Representative on January 8, 2009," he added.
The source also said it may also be that the CSOs wanted to take a safe side by avoiding an open confrontation with government officials the panel discussion would have made it necessary.
The CSOs said they avoided the panel discussion due to "the informal invitation procedure" they received from the two host media organizations and individuals.
"We were not invited formally in proper invitation. We didn't receive any formal letter." We are not even informed of specific agenda for discussion at the event," Coordinator of the task force, Tesema Mebrate told The Daily Monitor by phone.
The temporary task force was established by some 19 CSOs under the Christian Relief and Development Association (CRDA), un umbrella NGO which auspices more than a hundered NGOs.
In connection with the said controversial bill, a public hearing was held at the parliament where a number of queries were raised among participants from CSOs to the government officials and MPs on some of the provisions contained in the bill mainly on financial management, registration and legal entity, role of association on politics and human right issues.
Since the last nine months, the bill remains one of the controversial laws after the media and freedom of expression law which was the house approved amid protests and controversies.
Registered in Ministry of Justice, there are over 7,300 non-governmental organizations run in the country in different humanitarian, development and other intervention areas.
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