Translated material
My position on NPOs
Hi all!
My position is this: proposals to tighten control over the activities of NGOs are bad. But not at all the goals declared by the authors of the law. “Ensuring openness and publicity in the activities of non-profit organizations” is a very worthy task. But the tools that are supposed to be used are in direct conflict with the stated goals.
The problem area of the new law is, first of all, the illiterate and vague definition of “political”. I am sure that in our real conditions everything that can be interpreted as an invasion of the prerogatives of the native bureaucracy will be classified as “political” in our real conditions. Naturally, with all the ensuing consequences.
Meanwhile, all NGOs, each in its own field, are engaged in politics. Civil politics. In the field of ecology, education, the fight against drugs, promoting a healthy lifestyle, social initiatives and so on. Civic politics is a normal activity for tens of thousands of such organizations. This policy is really changing life for the better in many cities and regions of Russia. This is where the potential for healthy change in society lies. And we should be more careful about this potential. But the new law, on the contrary, cuts off the sprouts of civic activity.
The law forces all NGOs into the “government vs opposition” plane. This, of course, is convenient for both officials and radicals on the opposition flank. But many NGOs are far from this confrontation. In essence, we are getting artificial politicization where there should be a normal process of development of civil society.
But the most unpleasant thing about the law is the offensive status of “an organization performing the functions of a foreign agent.” The direct meaning of this formula - an organization that acts in the interests of another state - does not apply to any of the thousands of public organizations that receive assistance under Western charitable programs or from non-governmental foundations. But this does not bother legislators.
Yes, our non-profit organizations need funding. They have big problems with the level of management. There are cases of banal theft. And yes, there are cases when foreign money in the non-profit sector of the economy works against Russia. But, as in business, these are only isolated cases, and not the norm or the rule.
Any non-profit organization collects money for its statutory purposes. This is normal, it's called fundraising. The problem is that our legislation and bureaucracy make it difficult for domestic private businesses to donate, which leads to an increase in the share of foreign money in NPO budgets. This is bad, but it does not make any of them a “foreign agent.” In my opinion, seeing all civil leaders as foreign lobbyists is a direct path to the loss of mutual trust between society and the government.
However, legislators are now clearly confusing the activities of NGOs with lobbying. I have already said more than once, but I will repeat: by failing to properly regulate lobbying as a sphere of public relations, the authorities are causing serious damage to the country.