OPINION | FCRA Debate: Why India Must Balance Civil Society With National Sovereignty

I dia& squo;s
debate
ove
the
Fo eig
Co t ibutio
(Regulatio )
Act,
o
FCRA,
is
ofte
p ese ted
as
a
co test
betwee
civil
libe ties
a d
gove me t
egulatio .
That
f ami g
is
i complete.
The
mo e
fu dame tal
questio
is
whethe
a
sove eig
democ acy
should
pe mit
fo eig
mo ey
to
shape
its
domestic
political,
social
a d
ideological
ecosystem
without
adequate
t a spa e cy
a d
accou tability.

The
a swe
should
be
obvious:
fo eig
i flue ce
ca ot
be
allowed
to
ope ate
th ough
opaque
fi a cial
cha els
me ely
because
it
is
packaged
as
phila th opy,
advocacy
o
civil
society
activity.

I dia
is
ot
alo e
i
ecog isi g
this
p i ciple.
Majo
democ acies
ac oss
the
wo ld
egulate
fo eig
fu di g,
fo eig
lobbyi g
a d
political
i flue ce
because
mo ey
is
eve
politically
eut al.
Fi a cial
esou ces
ca
dete mi e
which
issues
eceive
atte tio ,
which
campaig s
acqui e
visibility,
which
i stitutio s
gai
i flue ce
a d
which
a atives
domi ate
public
co ve satio .

FCRA
As
A
Fi ewall
Agai st
Fo eig
I flue ce

The
FCRA
the efo e
eeds
to
be
u de stood
ot
as
a
i st ume t
agai st
civil
society,
but
as
a
egulato y
fi ewall
betwee
I dia& squo;s
democ atic
i stitutio s
a d
exte al
i te ests.

I dia& squo;s
expe ie ce
ove
the
decades
offe s
sufficie t
easo
fo
cautio .
Fo eig
gove me ts,
fou datio s,
ideological
o ga isatio s
a d
i te atio al
advocacy
etwo ks
have
legitimate
i te ests
of
thei
ow .
Some
may
ge ui ely
seek
to
suppo t
huma ita ia
causes,
educatio ,
healthca e
o
social
developme t.
But
othe s
may
have
geopolitical,
ideological
o
st ategic
objectives.
The
difficulty
lies
i
disti guishi g
betwee
the
two
whe
fu di g
st uctu es
a e
opaque,
a d
accou tability
is
weak.

A
sove eig
atio
ca ot
outsou ce
that
disti ctio
to
the
o ga isatio s
eceivi g
the
mo ey.

ALSO
READ:

OPINION
|
Why
SAARC
Should
(But
Ca & squo;t)
Be
Revived

Why
T a spa e cy
Matte s
I
A
Cha gi g
I flue ce
La dscape

This
is
pa ticula ly
impo ta t
because
i flue ce
today
a ely
ope ates
th ough
t aditio al
diplomatic
cha els
alo e.
It
ca
t avel
th ough
thi k
ta ks,
esea ch
i stitutio s,
media
i itiatives,
advocacy
g oups,
e vi o me tal
campaig s,
academic
etwo ks,
litigatio
st ategies
a d
seemi gly
i depe de t
public-i te est
platfo ms.
No e
of
these
activities
is
i he e tly
illegitimate.
The
co ce
a ises
whe
fo eig
fi a cial
i te ests
acqui e
the
capacity
to
i flue ce
domestic
policy
debates
without
adequate
disclosu e.

Democ acy
equi es
f eedom
of
exp essio .
But
democ acy
also
equi es
k owledge
of
who
is
fi a ci g
i flue ce.

That
is
whe e
FCRA
assumes
sig ifica ce.

Bala ci g
NGO
F eedom
With
Fi a cial
Accou tability

C itics
f eque tly
a gue
that
tighte
egulatio
ca
discou age
legitimate
NGOs
a d
weake
civil
society.
This
co ce
dese ves
co side atio .
I dia
ce tai ly
eeds
a
vib a t
volu ta y
secto .
Thousa ds
of
o ga isatio s
pe fo m
i dispe sable
wo k
i
healthca e,
educatio ,
pove ty
alleviatio ,
disaste
elief,
t ibal
welfa e
a d
social
developme t.
Thei
co t ibutio
should
ot
be
dimi ished
because
of
the
misco duct
of
a
mi o ity.

But
the
solutio
ca ot
be
to
aba do
sc uti y
altogethe .

The
p i ciple
should
i stead
be
simple:
legitimate
o ga isatio s
should
have
othi g
to
fea
f om
legitimate
t a spa e cy.

A
o ga isatio
eceivi g
fo eig
co t ibutio s
should
be
able
to
demo st ate
whe e
the
mo ey
came
f om,
why
it
was
eceived,
how
it
was
spe t
a d
whethe
the
expe ditu e
co espo ds
with
the
decla ed
pu pose.
These
a e
ha dly
u easo able
expectatio s.
I deed,
they
a e
basic
p i ciples
of
fi a cial
accou tability.

Fo eig
Fu di g
A d
The
Questio
Of
Natio al
Sove eig ty

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READ:

OPINION
|
I dia
Should
Move
O
With
Ba gladesh.
Let
‘Ge ocide ,
Mass
Mu de e ‘
Hasi a
Retu

The
la ge
issue
is
atio al
sove eig ty.

I dia
has
eme ged
as
a
majo
geopolitical
powe
with
g owi g
eco omic,
tech ological
a d
st ategic
i flue ce.
It
is
the efo e
u ealistic
to
imagi e
that
exte al
acto s
will
have
o
i te est
i
shapi g
I dia& squo;s
domestic
co ve satio s.
As
I dia
becomes
mo e
co seque tial
i te atio ally,
attempts
to
i flue ce
its
policy
e vi o me t
a e
likely
to
become
mo e
sophisticated
athe
tha
disappea .

This
does
ot
mea
eve y
fo eig -fu ded
o ga isatio
is
a
age t
of
a
fo eig
powe .
Such
sweepi g
assumptio s
would
be
u fai
a d
cou te p oductive.
It
does
mea ,
howeve ,
that
I dia
must
possess
the
i stitutio al
capacity
to
ide tify
co flicts
of
i te est
a d
fo eig
i flue ce
befo e
they
become
matte s
of
atio al
co seque ce.

Disse t
Is
Not
The
Same
As
Fo eig
I flue ce

The e
is
a othe
impo ta t
dime sio :
the
disti ctio
betwee
disse t
a d
exte ally
fi a ced
i flue ce.

A
democ atic
gove me t
must
tole ate
c iticism.
Oppositio
to
gove me t
policy
is
ot
a ti- atio al.
Civil
society
activism
is
ot
i he e tly
suspicious.
Peaceful
p otest
is
a
co stitutio al
democ atic
activity.
A
matu e
democ acy
should
be
co fide t
e ough
to
accommodate
disag eeme t.

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