OTTAWA– Liberal Leader Bob Rae made the following statement today on the charges against non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Egypt:
“The decision by the government of Egypt to prosecute non-governmental organisations poses a serious challenge to the politics of hope, openness and transparency that the Arab Spring began.
In any democracy it is important that civil society be free to organize, free to speak its mind and free to engage with the outside world.
Like many other Canadians, I have personal experience attesting to the value of NGOs, both as Chairman of the Forum of Federations, and as an active participant within the international democracy and human rights community. The work of these organizations is an indispensable component of a thriving community of democracies, and they must be able to carry out their mandates openly and freely.
Just two months ago I co-chaired an election observation team in Morocco for the National Democratic Institute (NDI), one of the organisations whose work in Egypt is now being challenged. I can personally attest to their professionalism, integrity and competence, as well as their deep respect for national sovereignty. The NDI also funded a Forum project in Baghdad on constitutional change in Iraq in 2005, and my experiences were equally positive.
Egypt is now embarking on a long path towards democratization. NGOs are an important part of the development of democracy and the freedom under which they operate is a principle measure by which the world judges progress.
We very much hope that the current issues involving NGOs in Egypt can be resolved through dialogue and cooperation. These cases also provide an excellent opportunity for the current law governing NGOs to be revised and simplified. The current law is complex and its administration opaque. This may lie at the heart of many of the problems NGOs are experiencing today.
I urge the Canadian government to make Canadian concerns about the treatment of NGOs known to the Egyptian government. It must strenuously work to persuade the Egyptian government to co-operate with NGOs, respect human rights and the freedom of speech, and move expeditiously on the path to civilian rule.
I also urge the Canadian government to change its current policy of inaction and to actively support the NGO community in democracy-building efforts in Egypt and throughout the Middle East.”
