Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), by their nature, are not usually powerful entities with lots of financial resources. For grassroots organisations, the struggle to maintain their operations can be overwhelming.
On the other hand, some NGOs have become highly influential, and their reach has garnered global impact as their members and supporters are committed to their cause.
Oxfam International, which was founded in Britain in 1942, comes from the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief. In its early years, the group lobbied to have food and other supplies sent through an allied naval blockade to reach women and children who were starving in enemy-occupied Greece during World War II.
Theirs was a noble cause. They were convinced that ordinary citizens, even in enemy territory, ought not to be mere collateral damage for the actions of their political leaders.
At the other end of the spectrum, you will find more audacious groups like Greenpeace, a fervent supporter of protecting biodiversity in all forms and the prevention of pollution and abuse of the earth’s oceans, land, air and fresh water.
The organisation has become an “arch enemy” of big industries and multinational companies that see its members as over-the-top.
In Barbados, increasing attention is being focused on a group that has styled itself as the ‘Loyal Opposition’ and led by artiste, filmmaker and cultural manager Marcia Weekes.
Weekes, best known for her highly decorated Praise Dance Academy, has become a thorn in the side of the government as her grassroots-based organisation has raised several social and economic issues to which an increasing number of Barbadians are gravitating.
With the opposition political parties decimated with two humiliating and consecutive 30-0 defeats, Weekes sought to fill an obvious vacuum in the public space and in public discourse.
Dismissed by some as a mere “pressure group” with only a “few” disgruntled followers, the group has turned the tables on naysayers. They have established their own outlet to reach the public, bypassing traditional media and the hold that the private sector and political interests naturally exert on them.
The group has led marches and drawn public attention to several issues that have emerged as critical national concerns. These included the purchase of large tracts of land on the South and East coasts by rich foreigners. One of the most controversial has been the Joe’s River, St Joseph development to which the surrounding rural communities protested.
The biggest ‘win’ for this small but passionate group of ordinary Barbadians has been its ongoing protests against parts of the controversial Cybercrime Bill. The group has sensitised citizens about what it viewed as dangers in the planned legislation that impacted people’s ability to express their views on digital platforms.
The nebulous language of the bill, that criminalised speech and other forms of expression online, has been widely condemned as likely to drive fear into people and result in a level of self-censorship that would stifle authentic public discussion on controversial issues.
One of the most tenacious moves by the group of activists was its successful challenge of the Cybercrime Bill before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington (IACHR) earlier this week.
As Mrs Weekes outlined: “One of the Commission’s primary tasks was to evaluate whether the bill, as currently drafted, infringes upon citizens’ fundamental rights to freedom of expression while balancing the need to protect the reputation, rights, and freedoms of others, including their private lives.”
There is no denying that Barbadians require protection from bad actors using the Internet and other technology to sabotage key installations and institutions, as well as those who use platforms to target people and children for sexual abuse and exploitation.
The problem that many have, including the Barbados Bar Association, is the overreach of this legislation, its potential to be abused, and its draconian punishment for offences which will be adjudicated by a magistrate and not a high court judge.
With fines of up to $100 000 and imprisonment of up to 10 years, one commentator in a letter to the editor of a daily newspaper described it as “likely the most dangerous bill ever drafted by our elected representatives in our 58 years of Independence”.
What most people are awaiting is an indication from the administration on its next step regarding the divisive piece of legislation that it sent back to a joint select committee after passing it in the House of Assembly following public outcry.
From all indications, the ‘Loyal Opposition’ has no intention of ending its fight over the Bill even after its historic challenge at the IACHR.
