Demonization of civil society organizations

The civil society sector in Jordan is very broad and includes a large number of organizations that are diverse in their goals, tasks, and nature. There are more than six thousand registered associations and nearly two thousand non-profit companies. In addition, labor and professional unions are considered civil society organizations, and they also have a great influence on society and the state.

These organizations as a whole are subject to multiple laws, including the Associations Law and the Companies Law for non-profit companies, in addition to the laws that regulate the work of labor unions and professional associations. These laws vary among themselves in regulating the work of these organizations and in dealing with them, which has also established a disparity in the extent of the margin of freedom in which they carry out their activities, as well as in the extent of their adoption of good governance rules.

The official bodies responsible for monitoring the affairs of these organizations still mostly view them with suspicion and apprehension, for two main reasons. The first is that some of the civil society organizations were engaged in activities that were alternative to political parties in earlier stages of the Kingdom’s history, and many of them were in conflict with the authorities. The second reason is due to some practices of a limited number of organizations that are marred by some financial corruption as a result of the weak activation of governance mechanisms within them.

Campaigns questioning the role of civil society, which exploited some practices, played a major role in disrupting its work, whether during registration or during work, reaching the point of accusing it of implementing the agendas and orientations of international organizations and external parties that do not want good for the country. These accusations are not based on logic, given that the various activities and work of these organizations are restricted by obtaining prior approvals from official regulatory bodies, including the condition of prior approval for any external funding.

With the existence of regulatory laws, it is no longer justifiable for the historical factors that made the state take a negative stance towards some civil society organizations to continue to influence them, especially in light of the important role that these organizations play. Under no circumstances should the whole of civil society be held responsible for the actions of some of its members who have erred or abused their rights, if such errors and abuses have indeed occurred. In no way should accusations be generalized and these organizations demonized in light of the existence of legislation regulating their work, nor should their work be disrupted at a time when there are laws that allow for precise oversight of them, which reaches the point of exaggeration and unjustified strictness. These laws allow for referring any abuser or violator to the courts so that justice may take its course.

It is illogical to replace the enforcement of laws with baseless accusations against the entire sector, and to reinforce viewpoints opposing the existence of these organizations, without whose participation and benefit no country can fulfill its responsibilities, tasks, and services. Indeed, questioning these organizations outside of legal frameworks is itself illegal and warrants prosecution. — Attorney Hamada Abu Najma