Tuesday, October 25, 2005
What NGO Charity Hides
The popular model of NGOs, non-governmental organisations, in the country evolved in the Christian west. In India, fiercely so with states like Kerala, this sector is almost totally controlled by the Christian church, international Christian donors and their allies. Some of them have budgets mounting to several crores with their beneficiary list across India reading like a 'who is who' of Indian society. This list ofcourse also include hard-core church agencies involved in conversion. They make inroads to respectable NGO movements mostly through surreptitious means. Money has its lure and many succumb and do their bidding later. There is an army of people involved in this most subtle divisive activity in today's India.
Many 'secular NGOs' are actually secretly aided by these people. Some of them quite famous. Those trying to eek out a separate identity in the NGO sector will find it difficult. Despite setting up of agencies like CAPART (Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology) by the ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India, the promotion of secular NGOs in development sector has been minimal. While the Hindu groups have tried to organise these, lack of professionalism and exposure to the resources become a handicap. Thus these very same agencies succeed in getting the government funds as well. Over and above the international church aid they have. To the ordinary people the 'generosity' come from the local Christian priests and that in concrete terms and they follow them.
The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana(SGSY) of the BJP government, launched in 1999 for rural uplift, did not foresee this background and resulted in the Hindutwa government's undoing. SGSY, which followed the old Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) of the Congress government, aimed at promoting village organisations and since the NGOs meeting the various criteria were almost all from the Christian segment they began getting government funds. They also got a new stamp of acceptability and became the government itself to the villagers. With their professional and team approaches they accessed the government funds set aside for the purpose, developed good rapport with 'result' driven beurocracy and made an empire of sorts. Huge numbers of rural poor became captive to their whims and fancies. More important they became victims of Christian propaganda.
That is what matters in elections, as subtle messages against a political party shall be immediately absorbed by the innocent rural folks who consider these saviors with eyes of worship. In Tamilnadu where SGSY was implemented with great success some of these NGOs caused traffic blocks in cities like Madurai. The Self Help Groups of women they formed in villages run to thousands and when they come for a meeting the entire city gets jam-packed. These are the core areas of Indian psyche and the Christian NGOs managed to enter there. That with state sponsorship. Yes, BJP's SGSY programme with its nationalist fervor must have improved the quality of life in villages is certain. But it also indirectly became its undoing.
Many of these NGOs are already quite powerful and wield might in rural interiors. They have liberal funds and the staff hiring terms is as attractive as any corporate giant. It is the antithesis of the Hindu concepts of 'Sewa' and 'Tyaga'. Though some of these activists generously supported by these sources wear, often worn out, Indian dress (what the development circuit calls the 'NGO uniform'). They travel luxury class and stay only in star hotels though. Since they have got used to the 'comfortable' life they do anything for a price. Many of the secular intellectuals of India are these paid workers. Since the operations are discrete it is near impossible to trace their links. A famous river valley protection movement later was penetrated and they are now allegedly supported by the same sources. Some Christian priests in the game from Kerala, who now decide things, have dropped their priestly dress and the `father' prefix in name when in the north of the country.
In time these NGOs can be dangerous as they are building up a parallel system of governance rooted in the villages and people's movements. Which can eventually weaken the centralised government mechanism of today. With their indebtedness to the external donors they are extremely vulnerable to pressure tactics. How one often finds some individuals with Hindu names seen attacking the Hindu movements. They also support academics in various research programmes and international tours and they also fall in line, are also at their beck and call. Since the battery of donor agencies is spread over various countries, mainly Europe and USA, also elsewhere, it is too difficult to trace them down. They also belong to a mosaic of Christian faiths some of them enemies of each other in their own regions. With liberalisation their roads are smooth as NGOs can now access funds without much government monitoring. Not many know about these gray areas of Indian polity.
P R J Pradeep
Many 'secular NGOs' are actually secretly aided by these people. Some of them quite famous. Those trying to eek out a separate identity in the NGO sector will find it difficult. Despite setting up of agencies like CAPART (Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology) by the ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India, the promotion of secular NGOs in development sector has been minimal. While the Hindu groups have tried to organise these, lack of professionalism and exposure to the resources become a handicap. Thus these very same agencies succeed in getting the government funds as well. Over and above the international church aid they have. To the ordinary people the 'generosity' come from the local Christian priests and that in concrete terms and they follow them.
The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana(SGSY) of the BJP government, launched in 1999 for rural uplift, did not foresee this background and resulted in the Hindutwa government's undoing. SGSY, which followed the old Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) of the Congress government, aimed at promoting village organisations and since the NGOs meeting the various criteria were almost all from the Christian segment they began getting government funds. They also got a new stamp of acceptability and became the government itself to the villagers. With their professional and team approaches they accessed the government funds set aside for the purpose, developed good rapport with 'result' driven beurocracy and made an empire of sorts. Huge numbers of rural poor became captive to their whims and fancies. More important they became victims of Christian propaganda.
That is what matters in elections, as subtle messages against a political party shall be immediately absorbed by the innocent rural folks who consider these saviors with eyes of worship. In Tamilnadu where SGSY was implemented with great success some of these NGOs caused traffic blocks in cities like Madurai. The Self Help Groups of women they formed in villages run to thousands and when they come for a meeting the entire city gets jam-packed. These are the core areas of Indian psyche and the Christian NGOs managed to enter there. That with state sponsorship. Yes, BJP's SGSY programme with its nationalist fervor must have improved the quality of life in villages is certain. But it also indirectly became its undoing.
Many of these NGOs are already quite powerful and wield might in rural interiors. They have liberal funds and the staff hiring terms is as attractive as any corporate giant. It is the antithesis of the Hindu concepts of 'Sewa' and 'Tyaga'. Though some of these activists generously supported by these sources wear, often worn out, Indian dress (what the development circuit calls the 'NGO uniform'). They travel luxury class and stay only in star hotels though. Since they have got used to the 'comfortable' life they do anything for a price. Many of the secular intellectuals of India are these paid workers. Since the operations are discrete it is near impossible to trace their links. A famous river valley protection movement later was penetrated and they are now allegedly supported by the same sources. Some Christian priests in the game from Kerala, who now decide things, have dropped their priestly dress and the `father' prefix in name when in the north of the country.
In time these NGOs can be dangerous as they are building up a parallel system of governance rooted in the villages and people's movements. Which can eventually weaken the centralised government mechanism of today. With their indebtedness to the external donors they are extremely vulnerable to pressure tactics. How one often finds some individuals with Hindu names seen attacking the Hindu movements. They also support academics in various research programmes and international tours and they also fall in line, are also at their beck and call. Since the battery of donor agencies is spread over various countries, mainly Europe and USA, also elsewhere, it is too difficult to trace them down. They also belong to a mosaic of Christian faiths some of them enemies of each other in their own regions. With liberalisation their roads are smooth as NGOs can now access funds without much government monitoring. Not many know about these gray areas of Indian polity.
P R J Pradeep
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20051206/ts_csm/ongo_1
Russia reins in 'foreign influence'
MOSCOW - The headquarters for Open Russia in downtown Moscow was known as "The Citadel" for its turreted Gothic facade.
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But these days a real bunker mentality prevails inside the civic education center founded by now-imprisoned oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Like many other Russian nonprofit groups involved with public policy issues, it faces possible closure under new legislation that goes before the Duma next week.
"I don't want to be a Cassandra, but I fear the entire nonprofit sector in Russia is facing dark times," says Irina Yasina, the center's program director. "There is spy mania in Russia, and they are specially scrutinizing any organization that has foreign funding."
All of Russia's estimated 450,000 civic groups - from community sports clubs to charities and nationwide human rights movements - will need to re-register next year with a special state agency. The sweeping amendments to Russia's law on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), approved by a Duma majority last month, would add up to levels of state control not seen since Soviet times.
The key goal, spelled out by President Vladimir Putin last week, is to block foreign-funded NGOs from "carrying out what amounts to political activity" in Russia. "Whether these organizations want it or not, they become an instrument in the hands of foreign states that use them to achieve their own political objectives," Mr. Putin said. "This situation is unacceptable."
Russia's FSB security service chief, Nikolai Patrushev, recently blamed foreign-funded NGOs for fomenting revolution in the post-Soviet states of Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan. He called for a new law on NGOs, warning that "the imperfectness of [current] legislation and lack of efficient mechanisms for state oversight creates fertile ground for conducting intelligence operations under the guise of charity and other activities."
Monday, Putin said the new law would be a key step in defending Russia from "the spread of terrorist and hateful ideologies."
The law's backers argue that most countries ban foreigners from meddling in local politics, and that the rules are aimed at imposing order in Russia's NGO sector. "There is bacchanalia in the sphere of public organizations, which prevents social consolidation and will lead to the destruction of Russia," says Valery Galchenko, one of the law's authors.
p>Open Russia, which received $19 million from Mr. Khodorkovsky's overseas bank accounts this year, is an obvious target. "The authorities make it sound as though we're instructing people to build barricades," says Ms. Yasina. "But we are engaged with things that would not be considered partisan political activities in any developed country, such as holding classes to teach proper political debate, respect for law, civic cooperation, and tolerance."
Many NGO activists complain the Kremlin is abusing the term "political activity" to mislead the world about its intentions. "What most NGOs do isn't 'politics,' "says Alexei Simonov, president of the Glasnost Defense Foundation, a 15-year-old media watchdog group. Rather, it's about criticizing or advocating particular policies. It's about developing or defending community interests, he says.
"This new law is aimed at striking fear into the NGO community, and changing the relations between state and society in ways I can only imagine in terms of our Soviet past," Mr. Simonov says.
If the law passes, global NGOs will be required to close their local branches and re-register as Russian organizations.
"This option does not suit us, because we have a very international team," says Alexander Petrov, Russian deputy director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch. "A decade ago it would have been hard to imagine what is happening now. It would have looked like an anti-utopia," he says.
Expert think tanks could also be singled out under the new law. "It's hardly surprising that Russian foreign policy is misinterpreted abroad," deputy foreign minister Alexander Yakovenko told a conference last week. "This happens because the Russian and Western media cite the opinions of NGOs that are heavily bankrolled with foreign capital."
Duma deputy Alexei Ostrovsky, a co-author of the law, estimates up to a quarter of Russian NGOs receive money from abroad. These include hundreds of groups whose activities often entail criticism of state policy, such as environmentalists, human-rights monitors, consumer advocates, anticonscription activists, and many others.
Some foreign funding comes from government sources, such as USAID or the European Union's TACIS, but much originates with private donors such as the Ford or MacArthur Foundations. Russian NGO workers say they accept foreign money because few local businesses are willing to donate.
One wealthy Russian who did contribute generously to civil society groups - Khodorkovsky - was singled out for prosecution, many experts say, because his "political activities" angered the Kremlin.
New Russian purse strings
Last month the Duma amended the 2006 state budget to include 500 million rubles (about $17 million) for "developing democracy in Russia and abroad," a step many NGOs have welcomed.
But Simonov argues that it's a sign the Kremlin aims to replace independent civil society with tame NGOs.
"Whenever I apply for foreign grants, I propose what I'm going to do and they decide whether to fund it," he says. "With the Russian government, they're always proposing what I should do with any funds they give me."
Under existing laws, NGOs already report on their sources of funding to tax authorities. The new rules would require them to register with a special state agency, which will scrutinize each NGO's accounts and activities before deciding whether to close it down or not.
Empowering bureaucrats
Ella Pamfilova, who heads the Kremlin's council on developing civil society, says she fears the law will hand too much power to bureaucrats.
"I don't see the need for such a controversial, raw, bribe-inducing bill that gives government officials a lot of leeway for lawlessness," she says. "When any official gets criticized, he'll now have 10 times more ways to shut down a public organization by accusing it of being engaged in political activities."
Even some groups whose focus is far from politics say that they are worried.
"We already face all kinds of difficulties and [the bureaucratic hurdles] involved in re-registering could lead to serious difficulties," says Yury Kapsrov, president of the Russian Society of New Music, an association of musicians. "There already isn't any state funding for artists' unions. If they make things tougher, it could lead to collapse."
In response to critics, Putin said Monday that the bill should be toned down. His administration would send amendments to the Duma in the next five days.
"The main achievements of modern Russia are the democratic process and civil society, and we must make sure that we do not, as they say, throw the baby out with the bath water," said Putin.
Russia reins in 'foreign influence'
MOSCOW - The headquarters for Open Russia in downtown Moscow was known as "The Citadel" for its turreted Gothic facade.
ADVERTISEMENT
But these days a real bunker mentality prevails inside the civic education center founded by now-imprisoned oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Like many other Russian nonprofit groups involved with public policy issues, it faces possible closure under new legislation that goes before the Duma next week.
"I don't want to be a Cassandra, but I fear the entire nonprofit sector in Russia is facing dark times," says Irina Yasina, the center's program director. "There is spy mania in Russia, and they are specially scrutinizing any organization that has foreign funding."
All of Russia's estimated 450,000 civic groups - from community sports clubs to charities and nationwide human rights movements - will need to re-register next year with a special state agency. The sweeping amendments to Russia's law on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), approved by a Duma majority last month, would add up to levels of state control not seen since Soviet times.
The key goal, spelled out by President Vladimir Putin last week, is to block foreign-funded NGOs from "carrying out what amounts to political activity" in Russia. "Whether these organizations want it or not, they become an instrument in the hands of foreign states that use them to achieve their own political objectives," Mr. Putin said. "This situation is unacceptable."
Russia's FSB security service chief, Nikolai Patrushev, recently blamed foreign-funded NGOs for fomenting revolution in the post-Soviet states of Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan. He called for a new law on NGOs, warning that "the imperfectness of [current] legislation and lack of efficient mechanisms for state oversight creates fertile ground for conducting intelligence operations under the guise of charity and other activities."
Monday, Putin said the new law would be a key step in defending Russia from "the spread of terrorist and hateful ideologies."
The law's backers argue that most countries ban foreigners from meddling in local politics, and that the rules are aimed at imposing order in Russia's NGO sector. "There is bacchanalia in the sphere of public organizations, which prevents social consolidation and will lead to the destruction of Russia," says Valery Galchenko, one of the law's authors.
p>Open Russia, which received $19 million from Mr. Khodorkovsky's overseas bank accounts this year, is an obvious target. "The authorities make it sound as though we're instructing people to build barricades," says Ms. Yasina. "But we are engaged with things that would not be considered partisan political activities in any developed country, such as holding classes to teach proper political debate, respect for law, civic cooperation, and tolerance."
Many NGO activists complain the Kremlin is abusing the term "political activity" to mislead the world about its intentions. "What most NGOs do isn't 'politics,' "says Alexei Simonov, president of the Glasnost Defense Foundation, a 15-year-old media watchdog group. Rather, it's about criticizing or advocating particular policies. It's about developing or defending community interests, he says.
"This new law is aimed at striking fear into the NGO community, and changing the relations between state and society in ways I can only imagine in terms of our Soviet past," Mr. Simonov says.
If the law passes, global NGOs will be required to close their local branches and re-register as Russian organizations.
"This option does not suit us, because we have a very international team," says Alexander Petrov, Russian deputy director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch. "A decade ago it would have been hard to imagine what is happening now. It would have looked like an anti-utopia," he says.
Expert think tanks could also be singled out under the new law. "It's hardly surprising that Russian foreign policy is misinterpreted abroad," deputy foreign minister Alexander Yakovenko told a conference last week. "This happens because the Russian and Western media cite the opinions of NGOs that are heavily bankrolled with foreign capital."
Duma deputy Alexei Ostrovsky, a co-author of the law, estimates up to a quarter of Russian NGOs receive money from abroad. These include hundreds of groups whose activities often entail criticism of state policy, such as environmentalists, human-rights monitors, consumer advocates, anticonscription activists, and many others.
Some foreign funding comes from government sources, such as USAID or the European Union's TACIS, but much originates with private donors such as the Ford or MacArthur Foundations. Russian NGO workers say they accept foreign money because few local businesses are willing to donate.
One wealthy Russian who did contribute generously to civil society groups - Khodorkovsky - was singled out for prosecution, many experts say, because his "political activities" angered the Kremlin.
New Russian purse strings
Last month the Duma amended the 2006 state budget to include 500 million rubles (about $17 million) for "developing democracy in Russia and abroad," a step many NGOs have welcomed.
But Simonov argues that it's a sign the Kremlin aims to replace independent civil society with tame NGOs.
"Whenever I apply for foreign grants, I propose what I'm going to do and they decide whether to fund it," he says. "With the Russian government, they're always proposing what I should do with any funds they give me."
Under existing laws, NGOs already report on their sources of funding to tax authorities. The new rules would require them to register with a special state agency, which will scrutinize each NGO's accounts and activities before deciding whether to close it down or not.
Empowering bureaucrats
Ella Pamfilova, who heads the Kremlin's council on developing civil society, says she fears the law will hand too much power to bureaucrats.
"I don't see the need for such a controversial, raw, bribe-inducing bill that gives government officials a lot of leeway for lawlessness," she says. "When any official gets criticized, he'll now have 10 times more ways to shut down a public organization by accusing it of being engaged in political activities."
Even some groups whose focus is far from politics say that they are worried.
"We already face all kinds of difficulties and [the bureaucratic hurdles] involved in re-registering could lead to serious difficulties," says Yury Kapsrov, president of the Russian Society of New Music, an association of musicians. "There already isn't any state funding for artists' unions. If they make things tougher, it could lead to collapse."
In response to critics, Putin said Monday that the bill should be toned down. His administration would send amendments to the Duma in the next five days.
"The main achievements of modern Russia are the democratic process and civil society, and we must make sure that we do not, as they say, throw the baby out with the bath water," said Putin.
NGOs cross swords over tsunami relief dollars
source : (The Pioneer, dated 17-Dec-2005)
Arun Jayan/ Thiruvananthapuram
Infighting among non-governmental oraganisations is becoming murkier. Be it in the Adivasi community or among fishermen, or any other areas, such as ecology, culture, herbs, rustic know-how or AIDS, the NGOs of late are engaged in a pitched battle as they attach more importance to the inflow of dollars and euros than to the cause they are projecting.
Literate Kerala had witnessed many such feuds that led to splitting NGO groups, such as Mithra Niketan, Samskriti, etc.
Even priests and nuns seem to be after big money as is evident from the latest bickering in the World Forum of Fisher Peoples. Fr Thomas Kochery, known as the champion of the fisherfolks' cause, is very much involved in this forum as a special invitee. The organisation is on the verge of a spilt if the allegations and counter-allegations coming from within the WFFP, Kerala chapter, are anything to go by.
The rift has reached such serious dimensions that WFFP secretary Sr Cecily Plathottam, is under police protection. Addressing newsmen in Thiruvananthapuram, Sr Cecily, who was accompanied by two women cops, accused Fr Kochery of embezzling tsunami funds. She also says her life is under threat ever since she questioned his way of spending funds received for the welfare of the fisherfolk.
She alleged that Fr Kochery had received more than Rs 100 crore from various foreign funding agencies for the rehabilitation of tsunami-affected fishermen. "However, he is not ready to clarify as to what he did with this money," she said. She added that Mr Herman Kumara, general secretary of WFFP, was diverting the money to his personal account under the direction of Thomas Kochery.
"Madurai-based NGO Muhil and a Redemptorist community in Manavalakurichy in Kanyakumari and National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) are handling the fund but there are no specific records for the money spent on the project. What I demand is that they should clarify about the total money that was funded by foreign agencies and how much had been spent and how it was spent," she said.
She added that since she was speaking about the misuse of money flowing into these NGOs, she was facing threat from many corners. However, an action council formed in defence of Fr Thomas Kochery, having its office at Manavalakurichy, said that Fr Kochery widely publicised the needs of the tsunami-affected people, giving details of the extent of damages, as it was known at that time, and a rough estimate of the amount of money that might be needed for the rehabilitation work.
He did not send any project proposal to any funding agency. In his appeal, he had given the addresses of some of the NGOs and church organisations, both in India and Sri Lanka, who had FCRA numbers and who were willing to receive funds and account for them.
His intention in circulating the needs of the time was not to collect funds himself, but to enthuse possible donors to come forward and make their contribution to any agency or NGO who had the facility to receive foreign funds and had the infrastructure to do relief and rehabilitation work.
Further, they said that WFFP was an international forum. Though Fr Thomas Kochery is acclaimed as a leader of the fisher peoples all over the world, he is not the coordinator of the WFFP as Sr Cecily mentions in the accusation, they added.
"The WFFP bank account is in France and that is controlled by a treasurer who is French, two coordinators, one a New Zealander and the other a Senegalese, and the general secretary, who is a Sri Lankan. Thus, Fr Kochery will not be able to state as to what exactly was the effect of the appeal he made," the action committee said in the statement.
Fr Kochery, who was in Honk Kong, when contacted by The Pioneer, was in full agreement with the action council and clarified that people of goodwill would ignore the malicious propaganda that some persons, for reasons known to themselves, were going against him.
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source : (The Pioneer, dated 17-Dec-2005)
Arun Jayan/ Thiruvananthapuram
Infighting among non-governmental oraganisations is becoming murkier. Be it in the Adivasi community or among fishermen, or any other areas, such as ecology, culture, herbs, rustic know-how or AIDS, the NGOs of late are engaged in a pitched battle as they attach more importance to the inflow of dollars and euros than to the cause they are projecting.
Literate Kerala had witnessed many such feuds that led to splitting NGO groups, such as Mithra Niketan, Samskriti, etc.
Even priests and nuns seem to be after big money as is evident from the latest bickering in the World Forum of Fisher Peoples. Fr Thomas Kochery, known as the champion of the fisherfolks' cause, is very much involved in this forum as a special invitee. The organisation is on the verge of a spilt if the allegations and counter-allegations coming from within the WFFP, Kerala chapter, are anything to go by.
The rift has reached such serious dimensions that WFFP secretary Sr Cecily Plathottam, is under police protection. Addressing newsmen in Thiruvananthapuram, Sr Cecily, who was accompanied by two women cops, accused Fr Kochery of embezzling tsunami funds. She also says her life is under threat ever since she questioned his way of spending funds received for the welfare of the fisherfolk.
She alleged that Fr Kochery had received more than Rs 100 crore from various foreign funding agencies for the rehabilitation of tsunami-affected fishermen. "However, he is not ready to clarify as to what he did with this money," she said. She added that Mr Herman Kumara, general secretary of WFFP, was diverting the money to his personal account under the direction of Thomas Kochery.
"Madurai-based NGO Muhil and a Redemptorist community in Manavalakurichy in Kanyakumari and National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) are handling the fund but there are no specific records for the money spent on the project. What I demand is that they should clarify about the total money that was funded by foreign agencies and how much had been spent and how it was spent," she said.
She added that since she was speaking about the misuse of money flowing into these NGOs, she was facing threat from many corners. However, an action council formed in defence of Fr Thomas Kochery, having its office at Manavalakurichy, said that Fr Kochery widely publicised the needs of the tsunami-affected people, giving details of the extent of damages, as it was known at that time, and a rough estimate of the amount of money that might be needed for the rehabilitation work.
He did not send any project proposal to any funding agency. In his appeal, he had given the addresses of some of the NGOs and church organisations, both in India and Sri Lanka, who had FCRA numbers and who were willing to receive funds and account for them.
His intention in circulating the needs of the time was not to collect funds himself, but to enthuse possible donors to come forward and make their contribution to any agency or NGO who had the facility to receive foreign funds and had the infrastructure to do relief and rehabilitation work.
Further, they said that WFFP was an international forum. Though Fr Thomas Kochery is acclaimed as a leader of the fisher peoples all over the world, he is not the coordinator of the WFFP as Sr Cecily mentions in the accusation, they added.
"The WFFP bank account is in France and that is controlled by a treasurer who is French, two coordinators, one a New Zealander and the other a Senegalese, and the general secretary, who is a Sri Lankan. Thus, Fr Kochery will not be able to state as to what exactly was the effect of the appeal he made," the action committee said in the statement.
Fr Kochery, who was in Honk Kong, when contacted by The Pioneer, was in full agreement with the action council and clarified that people of goodwill would ignore the malicious propaganda that some persons, for reasons known to themselves, were going against him.
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