Parliament Speaker says “transparency, pluralism, competition” must be applied “equally” to NGOs, societal actors, state institutions

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said if the democratic principles of “transparency, pluralism, and competition really matter, then they should be applied equally” to non-governmental organisations, “societal actors” and state institutions.

Papuashvili’s comments came after the domestic civic movement Shame last week decided to cancel its decision to register in the registry of organisations “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” following pressure from supporters.

Last weekend, Georgian civil society - also known as foreign-funded NGOs - bullied into submission one of their own, the so-called Shame movement. This particular NGO had decided to declare its funding, as envisaged by the recently adopted transparency law, but after extensive virtual bullying, Shame folded, reversed their decision, and even fired their director”, he said.

“This truly shameful episode reveals the extent of the closing of the mind, conformity, and hate among the ranks of the foreign-funded NGOs”, Papuashvili added in his social media message.

The lawmaker claimed American and European donors had created a “Frankenstein monster” in Georgia by creating an “artificial civil society” that “attacks the state unconditionally” but had now also started “cannibalising its own rank and file”.

“This is the unintended consequence of creating a civil society that is not accountable to its own people, unlike state institutions. Most NGOs fully depend on Western funding and never bother to reach out to grassroots or domestic donors for the projects that reflect the needs of the population”, the Speaker alleged.

Papuashvili further stressed democracy was thriving in a “pluralist and diverse” society, while “ideological conformism and lack of transparency” was “what differentiates a totalitarian public from a truly democratic society”.

Unfortunately, Georgian civil society, with undisclosed foreign funding, a narrowly observed catechism of convictions, and a penchant for bullying and violence, resembles the former more than the latter. Foreign-funded NGOs chose to close their ranks and become a uniform, narrow-minded, and embittered community. This does not help either pluralism or democracy”, he continued.

Papuashvili also called on donors to “take their share of responsibility”.

“It is time to re-examine how civil society in Georgia is funded and accounted for. Transparency and dialogue are crucial if we want to untangle this unfortunate knot. Uncritical acceptance of the so-called civil society’s opinions and actions has been a mistake all along. If the democratic principles of transparency, pluralism, and competition really matter, then they should be applied equally to the NGOs as well as the rest of the societal actors and the state institutions”, he said.

The Speaker further added that upholding the transparency law was a “good place to start” for the purpose.