KYRGYZSTAN TODAY Policy briefs on - Department of Geography

At the center of public policy is the government ministry or agency that is
responsible for solving a given problem or issue. In any society, decision-makers seek
to promote their own ideas. What prevents the NGO sector from actively promoting its
ideas? Which is more fundamental for NGOs: to participate in decision-making or in
the making and implementation of public policy? Each NGO leader must individually
define the purpose of his or her organization’s interaction with public administration
and local self-government. However, NGO leaders must agree on the criteria they
would use when dealing with government ministries and agencies. These criteria must
be based on key elements of public policy.
NGOs’ Potential for <strong>Policy</strong>-Making
The success of NGO participation in the making of decisions and policies is
dependent on the participation of government and municipal officials of various ranks
and on the NGOs’ potential for producing alternative policies. NGO participation
in public decision-making is limited by the degree of trust or distrust by the public
authorities, public administration and local self-governments.
NGO Bias: Myth or Reality?
The involvement of NGOs in the making of decisions and public policy is obstructed
by public officials’ belief that NGOs are generally biased. For example, in his public
statement made in June 2008 Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Justice, Mr. Marat Kaiypov, said:
“There are NGOs that carry out orders because the money comes from another nation.”
[14] This statement implies that, when a non-governmental organization in Kyrgyzstan
receives a foreign grant, it starts carrying out orders from a specific country. This belief in
a certain bias of NGOs stems from the fact that, when non-governmental organizations
receive thematic grants, they are often required to meet donors’ conditions for awarding
the grant.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan has yet to award a grant to a local NGO. In the summer of
2008 the country’s Parliament passed the Law on the Commissioning of Social Services,
which entails the awarding of grants to non-governmental organizations with the purpose
of carrying out social welfare programs. This law, however, has not yet come into force.
It is public knowledge that most NGOs focus on sustaining public interest in the
process of national democratization, anti-corruption efforts, and the advancement of
small and medium-sized businesses. Some experts estimate that these areas correspond
to interests promoted by the USA [see 12, 13, and 14].
Traditionally, it was thought that Kyrgyzstan does not have any pro-Russian or
pro-Chinese NGOs, but reality may be different. On the other hand, a large number
of the country’s leading public (non-governmental and non-profit) organizations have
acquired a solid reputation of being pro-American. These include the Coalition for
Democracy, Foundation for International Tolerance, Citizens Against Corruption, and
Interbilim. These organizations receive grants from American and European sources
and work with democratization issues.
The origin of funding has thus become the reason for accusing NGOs of bias. The
belief that NGOs are biased is further reinforced by the fact that Central Asia is the region
where divergent interests of Russia, the United States, China, and the EU converge.
Meanwhile, some claim that up to 500 emissaries of Western special services are active
in Kyrgyzstan, where they promote ideas of democratization [15].
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