Yohannes Anberbir, Capital
An agency to implement the hugely controversial Charities and Societies Proclamation was established last week.
The Office of the Prime Minister appointed Sirage Ali as director of the Charities and Societies Agency (CSA). He is one of the top members of the ruling party. He is also credited for his contribution in selecting the former caretaker administration of Addis Ababa.
The PM office also appointed Atkhelti Gedaye as deputy director.
Re-registering the existing civil society organizations and categorizing them as Ethiopian and foreign will be the first task of the agency as per the proclamation.
Every civil society organization (CSO) should re- register within one year.
According to the proclamation, the agency will enable and encourage CSOs to develop and achieve their purposes; has a duty to ensure CSO’s operations are transparent and accountable; and has a responsibility to ensure that they operate legally.
But CSOs currently operating in the country have criticized the power vested in the agency.
According to them, the proclamation allows it to interfere in the operation of civil society institutions. The agency may remove or suspend an officer if they are convicted of an offense involving dishonesty, fraud and turpitude.
CSOs are protesting, saying that the article allows an opportunity for the restriction of the right to organize and unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of the organizations.
If the agency applied this power to religious institutions, the implication is that the agency can remove, suspend or replace spiritual leaders.
Though CSOs have been vociferously opposing aspects of the law, the Government has not acceded to their demands.
