Civil Society Organizations, Incompetent Citizens, the State and Popular Participation in Tanzania
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Date
2009-01
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Abstract
Civil society organisations have played a vital role in the relationship between
the state and society. In Africa they have come into existence for different
purposes, ranging from ‘self-help’, where the state has failed to help its
citizens, to human rights, as the wave of democratisation has peaked, and
economic rights, when a country’s economy has crashed and governmental
capacity declined to the extent that the population has had to take care of
itself without help from the government. In Tanzania CSOs have had to play
a more extensive role because many citizens are not politically competent
and CSOs have had to take the lead in strengthening the demand side of the
political equation. But this role is questionable in cases where CSOs have
taken to speaking for and representing people in many forums without the
consent of those they claim to represent. In the process CSOs, like NGOs,
have compromised their autonomy, becoming close allies and partners of the
state. The dilemma is that if they do not do this they cannot help the people
they purport to help and if they do they are seen to be usurping the power
of the people. The way forward is to empower citizens to assume their role
as citizens and to ensure that the relationship between CSOs and the state
remains beneficial to all.
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Civil Society Organizations, Citizens, Popular Participation, Tanzania
Citation
Mallya, E.T., 2009. Civil society organisations, incompetent citizens, the state and popular participation in Tanzania. Journal of African Elections, 8(2), pp.102-122.