Tensions and understandings between civil society and the government
By Jessica Correa, internationalization coordinator at Transversal Think Tank
Speakers: Martha Tagle (Federal Congresswoman), Mariclaire Acosta (Activists and founder of the Academia Mexicana de Derechos Humanos), Mario Arriagada (Program Officer for Latin America, Open Society Foundations), and Xóchitl Gálvez (Senator). Moderator: Fernanda Elías (Transversal Think Tank).
Summary
Throughout history, civil society has built and defended public space beyond the government’s sphere of control. The interaction of government and civil society in the public space is a cause for constant tensions and understandings; in the Mexican case, the government’s hostility towards CSOs has tipped the balance towards tensions, making dialogue and collaboration almost impossible.
The last session of the OTT Local Conference: Mexico 2021 delves into the causes, consequences, and actions necessary to move from tensions to understandings and strengthen the bond that unites civil society and government.
Key takeaways
Civil society and democracy
Even though governments benefit from citizen participation, Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration has put severe obstacles on the development of civil society. This is worrying because functioning democracies require an organised civil society and a citizenship that is aware of its rights.
Every citizen has the capacity to influence the public sphere; however, for the president of Mexico the notion of citizenship does not exist; for him, there is only the idea of an abstract ‘people’ that acts based on its leadership.
‘In the vision of the president, there is no notion of citizenship. For him, people exist as an abstract set of individuals that are capable of producing change as long as they are led by him or his party’ — Mariclaire Acosta, Activist and founder of the Academia Mexicana de Derechos Humanos.
‘It is worrying because what democracy requires is an organized civil society, with citizens that are aware of their rights’ — Martha Tagle, Federal Congresswoma.
The defence of civil society
Two relevant causes of the tension between the government and Mexican civil society are the imposition of fiscal obstacles to access private resources and a cut in public funding for CSOs. These actions have weakened civil society’s capabilities; however, CSOs still have a lot of work to do to articulate their work with the private sector, community, and indigenous organisations, and even labour unions, because — unfortunately — the civil society in Mexico is elitist.
‘It is necessary to strengthen civil society by expanding it, democratising it; build coalitions between organisations that stay separate for a more virtuous relationship between organisations’ — Mario Arriagada, Program Officer for Latin America Open Society Foundations.
‘This climate of polarisation and attack validates the fact that activists and all those citizens who organise to defend a cause can be attacked with impunity’ — Xóchitl Gálvez, Senator of the Republic.
More on think tanks and change
From think tank to change hub
Keynote by Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America
How do think tanks react to or foster change?
Read the OTT Annual Review 2020–2021
