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McKinnon is due to arrive
at the Yar’Adua centre for what is listed politely as
a listening exercise and for an exchange of ideas with civil
society groups. But the meeting promises to be less than entirely
polite. Civil society organizations are becoming increasingly
impatient with what they see as their marginalization in the
Commonwealth processes.
“There is a near revolt among civil
society leaders,” according to a well-placed source
working closely with the Commonwealth Foundation. “Even
the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World
Trade Organisation have better systems for representations
by civil society.”
In the Commonwealth, he said, civil society
groups have to deal with the Commonwealth Foundation. “That
has meant that in effect we are formally cut off from access
to the political wings of the Commonwealth,” he said.
The move is snowballing by the day. “There
is a huge gap between rhetoric and reality,” says Ezra
Mbogori, a member of the Civil Society Advisory Board of the
Commonwealth.”The secretariat talks of a desire to help,
but we haven’t seen it yet. When we really start talking
about issues, they are nowhere to be seen. These concerns
need to be put to the offices of the Secretariat.”
That concern will be expressed at the Wednesday
meeting. “If delegates feel frustrated and disappointed,
then this cannot be just an exchange of niceties,” Mbogori
said. “The Secretary-General must tell us for real what
will happen.”
McKinnon is expected to make opening remarks
for a few minutes, and then face the expected barrage of questions
for an hour or so.
“It is becoming clear by the day that
it cannot go on being business as usual,” Mbogori said.
“We have reached a point where we feel this inherent
politeness is not getting us anywhere.”
Mbogori said civil society members need access
to the heads of government “and a development of mechanisms
that generate greater accessibility to both the Secretariat
and the Foundation. After all both organizations are funded
by taxpayers.”
Mbogori works for MWENGO, a civil society
organisation active in eastern and southern Africa in supporting
capacity building among NGOs. The Harare-based group is particularly
active in lobbying governments on behalf of NGOs.
Silam Hassan, a trade union activist from
Malaysia says workers, the government and business have to
come together to sort out issues. So similarly must the Commonwealth
Secretariat, the Foundation and civil society.
“We just don’t have enough say
in what goes on,” she says. “We are working with
the people, and governments that take action in the name of
the people must listen to us.”
There is some expectation of seriousness on
these issues. Discussions during today’s deliberations
could be indicative of the mindset of the Commonwealth Secretariat
now and in the near future.
The move to confront the Secretariat
is rapidly gaining pace.
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