THEME FOR DEBATING

Do we lobby?

Do citizen associations lobby and, what is equally important, do they know how to do it? “Civic World” opens a debate on its web-site and invites you to expose your opinions, attitudes and experiences concerning lobbying as one of the methods for citizen associations’ work. For a start, we present to you the opinions of four people active in the civic sector.

We invite you to take an active part at the Forum opened on the “Civic World” web-sites (www.civicworld.org.mk and www.gragjanskisvet.org.mk). In the following number of  “Civic World” we will publish parts of that internet-debate and we will announce the subject for the next one.
Jordan Bajraktarov:
“I think that citizen associations in Macedonia try to lobby, but that is not real lobbying with the elements and techniques practiced in western democracies and in the USA. We are far from the real lobbying, and if we want to reach it, we will need education. REC organizes the establishment of a lobby-group, as an informal group that will work on the Arhus Convention and its implementation in Macedonia. I consider that we lack special associations with a single mission and function - to lobby in order to realize certain goals.
Natasha Gaber:
As a means for realization of a certain goal, lobbying is insufficiently practiced in Macedonia. There are only few examples of lobbying. I consider that, first of all, it is important that the person initiating realization of issues of interest to a certain group should place a constructive subject for discussion referring to all readers and create the feeling that it is of mutual interest. This method should also be implemented in the realization of small goals, as a starting point for the realization of some bigger, global goals.
Savka Todorovska:
In the world, lobbying is a process. However in my ten-year experience in the non-governmental sector I have seen our people lobbying, not knowing they were doing it. They lobby in their own way, improperly and unskillfully. For that reason, we must introduce lobbying education process. Macedonian women lobby, which has been active for a year now, is capable of realizing much more if it acquires certain training and learns how to use this important means in the realization of its goals.
Josif Tanevski:
Now it is the right moment for Macedonian citizen associations to start lobbying. In relation to mass and quality, we gained a lot, there are many quality associations, and we also managed to raise the consciousness of the governmental sector for their strength and importance. They should organize and implement lobbying as a method. We do not have a tradition or knowledge concerning this method of work and for that reason we need training in this field