Non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) no doubt have their place in the world and for
the most part many if not most of them are doing good things in the
countries that they operate in.
Report Writing.
Many of these NGOs are in business to simply make money off of creating
reports by doing it for other agencies such as the UNDP or for the
government of the country they are operating in. And/or in other cases,
they simply publish and sell their findings. Report after report is
virtually useless if the information obtained is not used as soon
as it is deemed verifiable, useable and applicable to Laos' situation.
This is not to put all the blame on the NGO. However the NGO must
work closely with Lao governing bodies to ensure that they understand
the report and its would-be effectiveness - and this includes producing
the report in Lao, not just in English.
What is most disapproving,
are when replicate reports and research papers on similar, if not
identical, topics are created. Reports that are essentially all saying
the same things are released year after subsequent year. The obviousness
of this is that the reports become redundant and both money and time
are wasted. It is almost as though that is all that they do - write
research papers. Consultants get a great deal of the money for writing
and research. Consultants also make up a good portion of the ex-patriate
community in Vientiane. Albeit, these research papers are highly informative
and can make for interesting reading. However their final purpose
is to be an educative tool and to be used by a governing body who
is in the midst of applying or formulating ideas or a new set of laws.
False Pretenses.
There have even been cases of NGOs falsely setting up or pretending
to be doing projects in Laos but in fact upon government inspection,
have done nothing and the money has been diverted elsewhere. Back
in the Cold War years, it was even heard of that religious and charitable
organizations were fronts for spies.
Religious.
Many NGOs (and a few private schools) in Laos are religious based
organizations who, at the end of the day, are there not necessarily
to help as a traditional non-secular NGO/charity is but rather, they
are there to convert Lao people towards their religion. It has been
observed by this writer that many of the non-Buddhist temples and
churches attempt to attract in particular younger Lao people with
promises of fun, friendship, assistance with finding work, educational
sponsorships, etc. And to a poor populace such as Laos these features
can become a big selling point for these sort of recruitments
or conversions. Religious freedom is something we can all agree
on. However it is disheartening to see certain religious organizations
take advantage of the Lao people in this manner knowing very well
the financial situation of the majority that makes them particularly
vulnerable.
What one comes
to notice among the religious groups is the amount of exclusivity
that becomes apparent. Instead of helping anyone who requires assistance
they relegate their assistance only to their own religious members
and in effect exclude others.
Bad Attitudes.
Moreover, it has been observed by this writer, while speaking with
some foreigners living in Laos that some of them, though not all,
share the idea that Laos and the Buddhist religion are somewhat below
them. This negative attitude is what is most disapproving and
surprising since it is they who have chosen to go and live/work in
Laos. Many Lao people (in Laos and abroad) would be surprised to hear
the attitudes and views spoken by some foreigners/ex-pats when they
are in private or behind closed doors. Although of course there are
those who completely appreciate and have come to admire the Lao way
of life, attitudes and Buddhism - and have integrated those aspects
into their own lives and into themselves.
Financial Waste.
Many NGOs, charities, and religious groups waste a great deal of money.
We all know the level of corruption that exists in any country from
the top down, from businesses to governments - and indeed Laos has
its share of this. But many are also surprised to learn the amount
of money that is wasted by NGOs. Most famous and heard of stories
in Laos are the NGOs that are large and well-known, the ones that
are well established and have money to spend. For example, they spend
a great deal on bringing foreign expertise and consultants. And many
of those individuals will then bring their family members or if they
don't, they are permitted paid trips to go back to visit their families.
But for those who bring their families to Laos, the costs begins to
accumulate because it is the NGO who accepts the associated costs
(think of it as a benefits package for the ex-patriate). Once they're
in Laos, they're able to go to Western style sports clubs (that have
fees that are more expensive than in North America), send their kids
to private schools (that can cost as much as abroad) and Euro-style
restaurants and cafes and equipping them with SUVs and other cars,
as well as, providing paid medical benefits not just for the foreign
expert but for his/her entire family and a house/apartment to live
in. The financial waste is huge and very little gets done or given
towards the charity or purpose to which the NGO was originally created
for; instead the overhead costs accumulate the majority of funds.
As I mentioned
earlier, the general public and the government itself, as well as,
those abroad are well aware of the level of corruption or financial
waste that exists in Laos. The interesting note here is that it is
now becoming commonplace to apply this notion to NGOs. Among those
in Vientiane, there is a running joke of how little NGOs do and how
much money they are able to waste.
It is a sad state
of affairs. NGOs
are just like any organization, public or private, international or
domestic, they too are prone to corruption and financial waste.
A personal
last note: The last note I'll leave you with is that we can only
hope at the end of the day that work of these NGOs will yield positive
benefits for Laos and its people. And for the most part, I genuinely
believe Laos has benefited greatly by having NGOs in its country.
However as illustrated above, NGOs are not all that wonderful.
Keep
in mind that not all business investments are positive for Laos' development
or future prospects. All businesses, ventures, and investments have
to be weighed and analyzed from both sides. For example, there has
been talk between Laos and Thailand wanting to create a railroad linking
Thailand and Vietnam and possibly other connection points. What would
be the implications for Laos? Will industries grow from this or will
Laos simply be used as a transit way?
Another example,
forestry. There are many investments and business ventures in conjunction
with particularly Thai investors regarding forest/paper/wood products.
Thailand is especially interested in its neighbor's forests in large
part because many of its own forests have disappeared to over logging.
Will this happen to Laos? One of Laos' primary exports are forestry/wood
or wood products and therefore this industry does help to employ
many people. But what do you think will happen to Lao forests in
20 years if it is not properly protected?
Yet another example,
and this is probably the most highly debated one to date, which are
hydroelectric dams. Again a lot of the investment money for these
comes from Thailand which is eagerly seeking other sources of energy
(as is Vietnam). Some of the money also comes from loans from multilateral
NGOs such as the World Bank. During the creation of the dams what
are the implications to the environment, the people that inhabit the
area, the living creatures and animals that need that open waterway,
etc.? Will Laos actually make money or profit from these hydro-dams?
Will the low prices and the fact that it will only be selling to Thailand
and Vietnam make it susceptible to manipulation by its sole buyers?
Indeed these examples
are to help illustrate to you that not all business investments or
development projects are 100% clear or fully good/bad. Although not
to sound pessismistic, ultimately the parties involved will always
have their own special interests at heart and not necessarily Laos'
well-being.
