Foreign NGO crisis spreads to Pak

Dawn reports this morning that Pakistan's Election Commission's (ECP) decision to involve the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in a program to computerize electoral rolls using a computerized national identity card database has come under intense criticism.

Both the Interior Ministry and the Economic Affairs Division opposed the partnership, saying the computerization of the voter rolls jeopardized the privacy of the data. In shades of Egypt's anger at NDI, IRI, and the like for running unregistered, those who opposed the plan said the partnership was begun despite not "completing legal formalities."

For IFES to have access to the personal data included in the voter rolls, there must be written consent from every constituent, according to one Pakistani legal expert.

The controversy between the ECP and IFES predates the current NGO crisis in Egypt, however, and dates back to 2007 when a private firm, Kalsoft, "not only failed to deliver a fully functional computerized electoral roll system but also failed to provide error-free rolls," according to a memo sent from ECP to the Prime Minister's office. Kalsoft, instead of modernizing the voting rolls, created a number of deficiencies that required substantial financial and technical assistance. At that point, IFES offered its technical assistance on the matter.

According to ECP sources, the commission was receiving technical assistance from IFES but did not give the foreign organization access to the national database.

Expect reluctance to accept help from US-funded democracy organizations or their utilization as a political football to spread throughout the world, especially in places where the ruling elite may not be particularly warm to the idea of true democratization. 

Breaking: UAE shuts NDI offices

The National Journal is reporting that the UAE raided and shuttered the offices of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Dubai. 

Les Campbell, NDI's Middle East and North Africa director, said the Dubai office was raided and closed without reason after operating for four years as a hub for programs in other Gulf countries. "As far as we understand it now, our license will be cancelled," Campbell told National Journal.  At least two other Western groups' UAE-based offices were shut. Konrad Adenauer Stistung, a German think tank that promotes democracy with close ties to chancellor Angela Merkel that was also targeted for investigation in Egypt; and Abu Dhabi Gallup Center, a branch of the American poll and research firm. 

The State Department, which recently waived conditions linking the funds to human rights, said it was in contact with the UAE authorities over its decision to shutter the National Democratic Institute office on Wednesday.

"We’ve made clear that allowing NGOs to operate openly and freely is important to support political and economic development," a State Department official, not authorized to speak on the record, told National Journal.

The closures come as the Egyptian government continues its broad-based campaign against civil society, with some 400 local and international groups reportedly under investigation for illegally operating pro-democracy programs and stirring unrest. Egypt’s interim government still plans to prosecute 43 nongovernmental workers -- including 16 Americans from NDI and other U.S.-funded organizations like the International Republican Institute and Freedom House, whose Cairo offices were raided in late December. The Americans were allowed to leave the country on March 1.

Stephen McInerney, executive director of the Project on Middle East Democracy, worries the UAE closures are possibly the first signs of regional ripple effects from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's recent decision to sign off on the $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt despite human rights concerns. Citing national security interests, Clinton waived new congressional restrictions that would have required her to certify Cairo supporting the transition to democratic government and implementing policies to protect due process of law and freedom of expression, association, and religion. 

Calling the action taken by the UAE “alarming," McInerney said the U.S. decision to sign off on aid to Egypt could enable other autocratic governments to shut down civil society groups and prosecute workers in their country. “For governments around the world to see that Egypt can remain the second largest recipient of U.S. military aid while it’s cracking down blatantly on international organizations – including American organizations that are trying to support democracy-- is very likely to embolden other governments to follow suit," McInerney said.

Thoughts on NGO case

A messy situation inevitably got worse.

For the last few months, the Egyptian and United States governments have been in intense negotiations over the fates of Americans hit with travel bans after the Egyptian government charged them with using improper funding without appropriate government authorization.  First the Egyptian judges hearing the NGO case suddenly resigned, later alleging pressure (a phone call that left him "uncomfortable") from SCAF to kill the case.  The travel ban imposed on the democracy workers was subsequently lifted by an unidentified judge.

That the case was mishandled is one of the only issues uniting Egyptians of all political stripes, from the Muslim Brotherhood (criticizing "clear interference") to liberal favorite Mohamed el-Baradei (criticizing the "fatal blow to democracy").

After I told my roommate what happened, she said, "Well at least they're listening to us." This is either besides the point, or exactly so. These organizations strive to build and legitimize democratic institutions, including independent judiciaries.  Egypt's judiciary was severely undermined by SCAF's interference.  It wasn't democratic at all and reeks of the hypocrisy of which Americans are constantly accused.  We're all for democracy, unless the outcome clashes with our interests (election of Hamas in Gaza is an excellent example of this).

If the employees of NDI, IRI, Freedom House, and the rest are worth a lick, they are also probably quite uncomfortable about the way in which they were allowed to leave the country.  They are there, of course, to assist in the creation of a political system in which just that sort of interference does not occur.  It undermined their work, past, present, and future. Many will find it difficult to believe in their sincerity when their freedom was granted through decidedly un-democratic means and their Egyptian counterparts were left high and dry.

Yes, I am happy the Americans are back home. The way in which the situation has evolved is not their fault.  But the long-term ramifications for their departure are significant.  

NYT: Egypt relying on accusatory testimony in NGO case

The document detailing the government's case against the NGOs is out and contains some doozies.

Via the NYT:

"The case, for example, cites documents seized in December from one group, the International Republican Institute, that included Wikipedia maps of Egypt showing the country divided into four parts. While Egypt is typically described as comprising four regions--upper and lower Egypt, greater Cairo and the Suez Canal and Sinai region--the prosecution suggested that the maps showed a plan to dismember the country."

For real?