SLAVICA INDZEVSKA, FOSIM 

The Government must release the public space 

The figure of 4,000 NGOs is really impressive and I consider it to be something positive – it means that some public space has been conquered. In my opinion it is a reflection of the essential civic need to be organized and to articulate some needs which have not been articulated by the system.
Each government must develop awareness and virtue to leave the public space as free as possible. Thus, with mutual efforts, we could reach a moment of natural taking some responsibilities and tasks.
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By Marijana Ivanova

Mrs. Slavica Indzevska, a deputy executive director of FOSIM for consolidated programs, is one of the most competent people we can talk to about the growth and development of the civic society in Macedonia. She has been in the FOSIM since its founding, in 1992 and for the past decade she has worked in different areas – starting as an administrative assistant, then promoted as a program assistant, after that a coordinator of some program areas. For a long time she was a coordinator of the East-East program, she has also worked in the area of publishing, in the Roma program, women program, culture and art program...

Among the dearest engagements she singles out a few projects, among which the one for children support implemented in the Skopje settlement Shuto Orizari, by the association “Hope”. She took part in establishing the Gender Research Center which is now part of Euro-Balkan, as well as other initiatives within the women program: the series of documentaries “I as the other”, Dialogue and Understanding Fund during the Kosovo crisis. She says that very dear to her is the work on the institutional development of the non-governmental organizations and strengthening the civic society.

She has been included in several regional initiatives and international forums that need some additional engagement – however, she has always been open for meetings with the media, like this time, with The Civic World.

C.W. – According to your long years experience of working in the non-governmental sector, how would you evaluate it nowadays, in comparison with the beginnings and the key moments of its development?
S.I. – I am probably one of the rare ones who see the non-governmental sector in Macedonia through the development glasses. However, it does not mean that I do not have any critical attitudes. In my opinion it is important to emphasize the so far results, with arguments to indicate and to prove what the non-governmental organizations have managed to achieve and contribute in the society.
The NGOs in Macedonia had a very little time to deal with their development. The figure of 4,000 NGOs is really impressive and I consider it to be something positive – it means that some public space has been conquered. In the process of transformation, unfortunately even after ten years, mainly the political parties are the ones who define the agenda and occupy the public. So I consider the figure of NGOs that work in the country not being so frightening. Some criticize this figure, but in my opinion it is a reflection of the essential civic need to be organized and to articulate some needs that have not been articulated by the system but are an immanent need for the citizens.
The non-governmental sector has initiated a lot of questions which have not been initiated by the previous system, for example critics on the women issue treatment, various religious needs, the problem of Roma and human rights generally, the minority rights. I expect in the near future to appear needs for organizing the homosexuals and other sub-cultural or marginal groups.
In my opinion the NGO sector in this period has managed to develop a certain institutional capacity, which according to me is one of the elements, which needs further attention and engagement. The NGO sector has developed skills and capacities, which, unfortunately, have not been present yet or are less developed in the government system. The NGO sector has learnt to cooperate, to exchange opinions, to be tolerant, and what is most important, it has realized the “power of participation” in defining an idea, action. I think that in this way the NGO sector contributes to the process of demystification and redefining the positions where the truth comes from. It has learnt that there are different truths and that with a discussion and exchange of arguments, respecting the differences, things can move. In the ‘90s the NGOs played a great role with concrete results, for example when the Youth Council of Macedonia and other associations fought the battle for recognizing Macedonia under its constitutional name...

C.W – Which are the future challenges of the non-governmental sector?
S.I – Well, there are a lot of future challenges. The space we are having at the moment does not provide us to pay attention to all of them, same as it is not possible to cover everything when talking about the NGO sector’s development and achievements so far. One of the challenges is surely the further accorded and eventual coordinated acting of the non-governmental organizations. A special challenge should be the sector’s image. The responsibility for the image in the public is something very important. Lately there have been attempts to dirty the sector’s image and some addresses send messages that some non-governmental organizations interfere into affairs which are not in their competence, that they are in a service of the dark forces etc.
In the public the sector is considered to be the country’s service. It might be one of the options, but not the only one and certainly is one of the NGO challenges. The non-governmental sector in Macedonia at the moment changes into a phase where it should seriously work on the plan how to become an active participant in the processes of creating the public opinion and the official policy.

C.W – How would you evaluate the NGOs role in the crisis situations, which Macedonia faced?
S.I – All the intensive changes that happened in the last years have brought us, among the other things, to a situation to forget them quickly. NGO is responsible because it has not documented its work well enough. According to me, this is also one of the challenges. The Kosovo and Macedonian crisis – these two situations were so different by their nature but they had something mutual, from aspect of the NGO position and role – they showed that the non-governmental sector can react quickly. The NGO sector should increase its awareness for this characteristic as an advantage. In the Kosovo crisis there were a lot of Albanian NGOs and a second round of Roma NGOs. These, and the rest of the others, then had a capacity to be a service for the big foreign organizations. The last year, Macedonian crisis, among the other things, resulted in disappearance of the Albanian NGOs from the public scene. Others had some radical attitudes. On the other hand, a great number of NGOs took initiatives for appeals for peace and reconciling the situation, initiating solutions for the crisis. The civic action platform “It’s enough” is one of the results of this engagement, as well as the CIVIL’s peace campaign, the constant work of some of the NGOs which have some bigger humanitarian activities and many others.

C.W – The accusations addressed to the non-governmental sector are very often. As you have said, it should work on its image. How do you evaluate the accusations and critics that have lately been directed towards the sector?
S.I – Yes, unfortunately. Another, very frightening message comes – that in the sector there is a lot of money, that the country does not have control over it and that it should be put under control. These attitudes are fatal for the democracy and the further development of the practices and democratization processes in the country. At the same time, very declaratively, probably under pressure of the international public, it is pointed out that there is a need for the NGOs to participate in creating the power’s policy. But here I cannot see a big change, however it is also one of the challenges for the NGO.

Instead of encouraging, impelling and providing the sector to start with self-regulation processes, it seems that everything possible and available is done for the sector to divide, break up, corrupt, politicize and if possible to silent. There are countries where the political parties, even the governments, establish associations and foundations in a transparent way and as integral part of the democracy milieu. In Macedonia we also have such processes, but they are not transparent and can have some fatal influence on the NGO sector’s development and the image, the public and slowing the development of the democracy and citizenship in Macedonia. I think that each government should develop awareness and virtue to leave the public space as freer as possible. Thus, with mutual efforts, we could reach a moment of natural taking some responsibilities and tasks between the power and the civic society. In my opinion in the NGOs such capacities develop slowly, especially within organizations, which deal with the social issues. If we take a look at all the responsibilities taken by the government for the reforms in the social policy, health, education, decentralization, I think it is too brave to think that all the tasks the government could realize on its own. The NGO sector, in certain moments, could be a place for engagement of a lot of experts outside the system institutions.

In Macedonia, really, the awareness of voluntarism and the awareness that it is necessary to contribute to the community seem to be forgotten. This is also a challenge for the NGOs. However, this situation is also linked with the standard and the economic level, although I think that this awareness can be developed again. These countries have for ages tried to maintain good relations with the neighbors, fellow business which we now call partnership. These forgotten virtues should start living again. In the NGO sector declaratively, for example within a seminar or conference, there is no dilemma about it, but as soon as it comes out, it enters a space covered and managed by the political parties. So one either keeps silent or becomes an instrument by some of the offered options of some of the political parties.

C.W – What is FOSIM’s strategy to help the NGO sector to respond and win all these challenges you have mentioned, as well as the others you have not mentioned?
S.I – In the FOSIM’s strategy the key word is integration – the integration in Macedonia and the Macedonia’s integration within Europe, and the basic priorities are the further development of the civic society and the legal state. Thus we are present with declarations, campaigns, programs for grants for the NGOs, public opinion researches, as well as initiatives for regulating the legal and fiscal frame for acting of the NGO sectors as continuation and supplementation of the so far efforts of MCIC, Megjshi etc...

FOSIM is also a part of the coalition “Macedonia without corruption”, established recently and it should be a point of taking anti-corruption initiatives.