New Fund to Encourage Philanthropy
New Fund to Encourage Philanthropy
If a new charitable organisation set up on the orders of Tajik president Imomali Rahmonov is to be a success in helping the needy, NBCentralAsia observers say it must be set up in such a way that it is transparent and elicits only voluntary contributions.
The Public Charitable Fund has received its first donations from private philanthropists and institutions across Tajikistan after a launch at the end of June. The charity, founded by President Rahmonov to help the most vulnerable groups in Tajikistan, is headed by former foreign minister Talbak Nazarov.
According to official sources, there are 500,000 low-income families in Tajikistan, 134,000 disabled people, 68,000 families without a breadwinner and 9,000 elderly people who have to support themselves.
NBCentralAsia experts say that the government will have to work hard to convince people that the funds will not vanish, as happens too often in Tajikistan’s corrupt environment.
The chief expert at the presidential Centre for Strategic Studies, Tagoi Murodov, says the fund was set up at the right time because Tajikistan now has enough businessmen, wealthy individuals and institutions to make contributions.
Murodov insists that philanthropic gestures must be voluntary – there is no place for compulsion here.
The head of the Dushanbe branch of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, Muso Asozoda, says that Nazarov and the board of trustees are unlikely to tolerate corruption or force people to make constributions.
Nevertheless, political analyst Parviz Mullojanov believes the new organisation will initially have to use its influence in official structures, perhaps with local authorities using the tax inspectorate to seek donations from businesses.
“To begin with, the authorities won’t have any other choice because people are generally unwilling to donate to an unknown organisation,” said Mullojanov.
In time, however, people will be happy to support this fund if the authorities tell people what it is for and convince them that the money will not be used to line the pockets of officials, he said.
The fund could also follow the practice used in other countries whereby it would have its own commercial structures provided the profits go only towards worthy causes. Individual donors could also be given considerable tax privileges, Mullojanov suggests.
Another political analyst, Abdugani Mamadazimov, suggests that representatives from local businesses and NGOs should sit on the new fund’s board to ensure that funds are accrued and distributed in a transparent manner.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
The Public Charitable Fund has received its first donations from private philanthropists and institutions across Tajikistan after a launch at the end of June. The charity, founded by President Rahmonov to help the most vulnerable groups in Tajikistan, is headed by former foreign minister Talbak Nazarov.
According to official sources, there are 500,000 low-income families in Tajikistan, 134,000 disabled people, 68,000 families without a breadwinner and 9,000 elderly people who have to support themselves.
NBCentralAsia experts say that the government will have to work hard to convince people that the funds will not vanish, as happens too often in Tajikistan’s corrupt environment.
The chief expert at the presidential Centre for Strategic Studies, Tagoi Murodov, says the fund was set up at the right time because Tajikistan now has enough businessmen, wealthy individuals and institutions to make contributions.
Murodov insists that philanthropic gestures must be voluntary – there is no place for compulsion here.
The head of the Dushanbe branch of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, Muso Asozoda, says that Nazarov and the board of trustees are unlikely to tolerate corruption or force people to make constributions.
Nevertheless, political analyst Parviz Mullojanov believes the new organisation will initially have to use its influence in official structures, perhaps with local authorities using the tax inspectorate to seek donations from businesses.
“To begin with, the authorities won’t have any other choice because people are generally unwilling to donate to an unknown organisation,” said Mullojanov.
In time, however, people will be happy to support this fund if the authorities tell people what it is for and convince them that the money will not be used to line the pockets of officials, he said.
The fund could also follow the practice used in other countries whereby it would have its own commercial structures provided the profits go only towards worthy causes. Individual donors could also be given considerable tax privileges, Mullojanov suggests.
Another political analyst, Abdugani Mamadazimov, suggests that representatives from local businesses and NGOs should sit on the new fund’s board to ensure that funds are accrued and distributed in a transparent manner.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
