Soapbox: Freeing civil society By El-Sayed Eleiwa Civil society is becoming a strong rival to government and business. Modern development literature acknowledges civil society as a pillar of sustainable development. But bureaucracy does not let it happen, and security concerns are getting in the way. Governments have been known to question the aims of civil society, perhaps because they fear the climate of participation it tends to generate. In Egypt, the government has been trying to appoint the heads, or even all members, of key civil society groups. Look what happened to the General Federation of Civil Society's organisations, the National Council for Human Rights, the National Council for Women, the National Council for Youths and the National Council for Sports. Even market-oriented groups such as the Agency for Communication Regulation, the Agency for Consumer Protection, the National Council for Nutrition and the Association of Chambers of Commerce are not exactly free. And the government is in control of most environmental efforts in the country. It is good to know that the government is interested in placing capable people aboard civil society organisations. And some of the government appointees are quite competent. But this is not the way to get things done. Civil society needs to remain free, which means that its leaders need to be elected. Civil society must not become an extension of the government, or it won't be able to play its role as a regulator and watchdog. I understand that bureaucrats and technocrats are jealous of their power, but they must restrain themselves. Civil society is good for the nation and by extension for the government. So let's free civil society. And while we're at it, why not revive the good old cooperative sector? The cooperative sector is inspired by the same ideals that led to the rise of civil society. Let's give it another go. This week's Soapbox speaker is a professor of political science at Helwan University.
