Bureau of Parliamentary Studies
NED OFFICE IN INDIA
Expanding US Operations
Prakash Karat
February 25, 2001 JP-led government has given clearance for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), an American organisation, to set up its office in India. The NED is primarily a US State Department-funded organisation which works in coordination with the State Department to promote ‘democracy’ around the world. It concentrates particularly on countries and governments which do not accept the American version of democracy, or promote free market values. The People’s Democracy had, in April 1999, published articles regarding the nature of the operations of the NED in the context of its sponsoring an international conference in New Delhi to build a "world movement for democracy".
the BJP-led government at the centre, the activities of the NED have been stepped up in India. After the international conference held in February 1999, for the "World Movement of Democracy", the next major step was taken during the visit of President Clinton in March 2000. One of the decisions taken during the visit was the announcement by President Clinton of the establishment of an Asian Centre for Democratic Governance, to be located in New Delhi. The National Endowment for Democracy is to set up this Centre in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which is the biggest organisation of big business in India.
The NED, given its role as an ideological instrument of the US establishment, will become the agent for supporting and financing parties and organisations which are hostile to the Left, and the Communists in particular. Already there are sufficient indications of the heightened US interest in the forthcoming assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala.
It is imperative that the NED’s operations in India be stopped. On no account should it be allowed to open its office, just as the FBI was allowed to do last year. The Asian Centre for Democratic Governance is nothing but an American-funded outfit which should not have any official patronage or collaboration. The Bureau of Parliamentary Studies must dissociate from the Centre, nor should the government of India, extend any sort of patronage to this dubious American project.
The following grants for the year 1999 were distributed, through India-based organisations, by NED and its affiliates.
Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB)
$150,000
Special funds for Burma
To support the short-wave radio programmes of the DVB, the voice of the Burmese pro-democracy movement, and to further professionalise DVB's Oslo studio and its field offices in Thailand and India.
National Coalition for Democracy
$55,000
To enable the exiled National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) to operate two communications centres, in New Delhi and Bangkok, allowing them to communicate more effectively the NCGUB's message to an international audience.
Nonviolence International (NI)
$50,000
To support the work of the India-based Committee for Nonviolent Action in Burma (CNAB) to foster coalition building and promote democracy at the grassroots level in Burma.
Tibet Times Newspaper
$20,000
To provide in-depth coverage of news about Tibet, the exiled Tibetan community, and Chinese and international affairs, through a Tibetan-language newspaper published three times a month in Dharamsala, India.
Tibet Multimedia Centre
$30,000
To support a four-part programme of democratic civic education and information dissemination that addresses the struggle for human rights and democracy in Tibet. Based in Dharamsala, India, the Centre produces print, audio, and video materials for distribution to Tibetans in India, Nepal, and Tibet.
Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
$15,000
To translate into Tibetan, publish, and distribute 10,000 copies each of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. The programme is based in Dharamsala, India.
Tibetan Review
$25,000
To continue publishing Tibetan Review, an English-language monthly news and opinion journal based in New Delhi, India. The Review, known for its editorial independence and its commitment to promoting democratic pluralism in Tibetan society, provides a unique forum for the free and robust exchange of views.
Centre for International Private Enterprise
$52,635
To work with the Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs to bring together business leaders and successful women entrepreneurs from throughout the South Asian region to share their ideas and expertise on policy advocacy and economic development.
(Source: NED website at http://www.ned.org/grants/grants.html)
Examples of Funding in Other Asian Countries
Cambodia
International Republican Institute
$235,257
To strengthen democratic political parties and civic participation in Cambodia. Training topics include the legislative process, communication and message development, and grassroots political party organisation. A separate programme will train several Cambodian NGOs, civic activists, and student leaders on how to become more effective advocates for constitutional democratic political processes in Cambodia.
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$21,642
To support the organizational development of three civic groups whose election-monitoring efforts helped expose flaws during parliamentary polls in 1998. Before the local elections, scheduled in 2000, NDI will assist the civic groups to advocate citizen input into the creation of new laws on local elections and local administrative structures.
China
American Centre for International Labour Solidarity
$202,399
To support the work of the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin to investigate and document labour conditions and worker activism in China. The programme also includes support for labour and human rights education efforts to inform workers about their rights under national and local laws.
Foundation for China in the 21st Century
$100,000
To increase understanding of democratisation, constitutionalism, federalism, and related issues among policy-making and intellectual communities in China. The program includes publications on comparative democratisation issues and grassroots elections in China, a new programme to lay the foundation for inter-ethnic communication through a series of retreats, and humanitarian and programmatic support for Chinese human rights and democracy activists.
Malaysia
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$143,388
To assist a civic group with monitoring November 1999 parliamentary elections in Malaysia, where flawed electoral laws and procedures have prevented genuine, competitive polls. NDI will help the civic group mount a neutral observation effort to monitor the election and pre-election environment and report objectively on the election process.
Nepal
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs
$100,000
To strengthen government oversight and accountability in a country where corruption at all levels of government hinders the development of democratic practices and the public's faith in democracy. The programme will assist civic groups with strengthening the legislature's oversight of Nepal's seven independent constitutional bodies and developing a more transparent process of appointing members to those bodies, which are currently appointed in secret.
North Korea
Citizens' Alliance to Help Political Prisoners in North Korea
$62,000
To investigate and report on human rights abuses and prison camp operations in North Korea. The Seoul-based group will produce English-language materials for international dissemination and publish Korean, Japanese, and English-language editions of its bimonthly journal, Life and Human Rights. The Alliance will also convene the first international conference on human rights abuses in North Korea to assess the current state of knowledge and exchange of information on North Korea's human rights situation, and explore strategies to improve the human rights situation there.
Vietnam
Association for Vietnamese Overseas: Culture & Liaison
$70,000
To continue distributing the bimonthly magazine, Que Me (Homeland), which brings uncensored news and a discussion of democratic ideas into Vietnam. The Association also will distribute in Vietnam 50,000 copies of its monthly mini-bulletins on human and workers' rights in Vietnam, and a variety of thematic reports in English, French, and Vietnamese.
Asia Regional
American Centre for International Labour Solidarity
$551,232
To support the protection of workers' rights and the institutional development of trade unions in Thailand and Malaysia. ACILS programmes will broaden workers' civic awareness and help train workers and unions to undertake effective research, analysis, and advocacy on economic policy issues in the wake of the financial crisis. A regional programme will promote transparency in international financial institutions.
