Syria Today | Development Challenges Demand a True Civil Society

Development Challenges Demand a True Civil Society

By Yahya al-Aous
Photo Adel Samara

The role and nature of civil society in Syria has been much discussed in the wake of the country’s first conference on civil society and its role in development. Most agree that modern civil society in Syria has a variety of weaknesses. These weaknesses, combined with a lack of coverage of civil movements and issues in the local media, have curtailed the blossoming of a true civil society. The situation poses many challenges, particularly in light of the explicit recognition of the importance of social development and the state’s inability to achieve it without the support of independent social forces.

In Syria, the state has been allowed to define the concept of civil society. The state’s definition distorts the meaning and goals of civil society and has come to replace real civic participation almost entirely. Today, state-sponsored civil society can claim to function on the behalf of charities or groups working for social progress. With these concepts established, the state can refuse to recognise any organisation that lies outside its narrow definition.

Civic development has been held back for years due to the exclusion of independent civil organisations. The handful of organisations working on the ground in Syria cannot improve development as long as they remain firmly in the hands of the formal civil sector. An organisation open to special interests and government oversight is unable to represent the real interests of people and adapt its goals and methods accordingly. Unfortunately, the expanding number of NGOs in Syria does not in and of itself create a healthy civil society. All of these organisations, whether they deal with social needs or charitable projects, are strikingly similar in that they do not take up issues of culture or ideology, nor do they attempt to develop, rehabilitate or promote the principles of democracy and human rights as the foundation for their work.

What passes for civil action at the official level consists only of what can be described as the remains of political initiatives undertaken by members of independent civic organisations. The formation of these initiatives often takes place within independent organisations, but once they are distorted and adopted by the authorities they become a pretext for the overthrow of all forms of true civic action.

Independent members of the country’s civil society now hope for a new phase of civic development in Syria. This hope has been heightened in the wake of remarks by the country’s First Lady Asma al-Assad that there is a general recognition of the inability of governments alone to meet the challenges of development without the participation of communal organisations. The first lady’s comments are of the utmost importance as they establish the role of civil society in economic development. It should be pointed out, however, that a civil society limited solely to the field of economic development will not be able to meet its wider obligations and will prove unable to participate in critical social and political reform.

As a new phase of civic development begins in Syria, the strengthening of civil society must be accompanied by an end to the state’s distortion of the issues, in tandem with a cessation of government commentary questioning the intentions of civil society. These developments require a serious reconsideration of civil society’s mode of coexistence with the requirements of Syrian society and its history.

Civil society cannot be viewed as a subversive Western invention, as it has been depicted by the state. Instead, moving ahead, civil society must be truly responsive to the people. Organisations themselves must work to develop cultures of communication beyond the narrow framework which has restricted participation to specific intellectual fields. At the same time, organisations must develop strategies that match their ambitions while fitting the realities entrenched in the country’s institutions.

It is hoped the new legislation governing NGOs will stand as the first practical expression of the government’s sincere intention to change the status quo and adopt a new approach to development, this time with civil society as a true partner, independent and active.

Yahya al-Aous is the editor-in-chief of the online magazine Al-Thara which covers women’s issues.