Representatives of business associations opposed initiative of the deputy of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan Baktybek Raiymkulov, which obliges NGOs to report on sources of their funding.
Giving grounds for his bill, the author cited Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus as an example. Baktybek Raiymkulov notes that non-profit organizations in these countries report on how their grant money is spent.
«Adoption of the bill will strengthen the index of public confidence in non-profit organizations and will increase transparency of their activity. Advantages of openness of information are obvious, and if non-profit organizations, like state bodies, become transparent, this, in its turn, will facilitate cooperation between the state and the civil sector,» the deputy believes.
However, members of business associations argue that this document is not needed. In their opinion, the current legislation of Kyrgyzstan already obliges NGOs to provide tax authorities and the Social Fund with information about their activities, including the financial situation, the availability of property, expenses, the number and composition of employees, and salary data.
«The initiative to control NGOs is an attempt to establish additional, but essentially excessive control, that is, it indicates increased, biased and «unhealthy» attention to the activities of non-profit organizations,» the text says.
They urge developers to withdraw the bill, as it contradicts the Constitution and Kyrgyzstan’s international obligations.
Earlier experts of Adilet Legal Clinic criticized the Baktybek Raiymkulov’s bill. They stress that the analysis showed that the bill contains a lot of legal norms that pose serious challenges and threats to the democratic values of the rule of law. And some elements are contrary to universally recognized principles and norms of international law, as well as constitutional guarantees and the legislative framework. The Ombudsman of Kyrgyzstan Tokon Mamytov also asked parliament members to postpone consideration of the scandalous initiative.
