My friend Antonio Medina Gomez of Colombia has it right. You measure first by objective. Civil society organisations work to advance the public interest in one or other thing, be it internet users, people who are handicapped, people who suffer from spousal abuse, people who dance to embrace culture, national literacy, whatever. The objective is what matters most. This discussion is a great example of how the intersection of history and culture impact our concepts of democracy, governance and congruent relationships. Save and except the faith-based ones, Caribbean public interest organisations do not restrict association based on where you live, your politics or what you like to eat. Our first impulse is to include, not to exclude. In our tradition, it is the results that matter most. Therefore so long all subscribe to the common ideals and submit to the same discipline, membership is yours to take. The fact is Caribbean peoples are not as suspicious of their governments. We have a long standing democratic tradition and change governments with regularity, for the most part uneventfully; every 4 - 5 years. Political debates are full and frank. And yes, we sometimes elect crooks. But we never ever elect fools. Our governments are absolutely dependent on people from all areas of life to fully participate in their governance. So they expect people, including those connected to civil society organisations, to serve on public boards for government-owned or funded entities such as school management boards, boards of libraries, even publicly-owned for-profit companies. We are not compensated. All this is considered a contribution to national development and society. In certain cases, our laws sometimes declare how certain civil society organisations must be co-opted to serve in certain areas of national endeavour. Two examples from Jamaica. The Heart Foundation is a public interest organisation dedicated to providing information on heart disease and its prevention to our citizens. The Chairman of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica is a banker. The Council of Voluntary Social Services is an umbrella organisation that coordinate the work of the voluntary sector in helping the poor and disadvantaged live better lives. Membership runs the gamut from the United Way thru youth groups like Boys & Girls clubs to retired citizens clubs to organised groups in the Diaspora with their pet causes. It is funded partially from the public purse and the Chair is a retired school teacher. You could check Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada or Antigua and you see the same referrals. That is our Caribbean reality. And any definition that begins with exclusion automatically disadvantage us. -Carlton Samuels ============================== Carlton A Samuels Mobile: 876-818-1799 *Strategy, Planning, Governance, Assessment & Turnaround* =============================