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WHAT CAN BE DONE
The global alliance of civil society groups CIVICUS has reported an increase in
threats to civil society space in recent years, 489 something that Oxfam has seen
firsthand in its work with civil society organizations around the world. This
takes many different forms, including direct repression, the introduction of
legal restrictions on legitimate civil society action, funding restrictions and,
in some cases, a crackdown of communications technology. 490
Despite this, people around the world are coming together in ever greater
numbers to take back power. This can be seen in the mass of protests that
have sprung up across the world in the past few years, 491 where hundreds of
thousands of people took to the streets to vent their frustration about the lack
of services and their lack of voice. 492 This discontent is reflected in opinion
polling conducted by Oxfam and others, which clearly reflects that people
around the world continue to be deeply concerned that their governments are
acting not in their interests, but on behalf of national and international elites. 493
The good news is that political capture and economic inequality are not
inevitable. History has shown time and again that the antidote to the
capture of power is the mobilization of empowered and informed active
citizens. 495 This makes it a crucial ingredient in the fight against inequality.
There are numerous examples of citizens and civil society organizations
across the world holding their governments to account and demanding more
inclusive and representative policy making. Below are three such cases from
Chile, Hungary and Iceland.
Chile: Protests bring education reform and a new government
The biggest public demonstrations to hit Chile since the return of democracy
in 1990 erupted during 2011. Initially spurred by discontent over the cost
of education, they grew to encompass concerns about deep divisions of
wealth (Chile is the most unequal country in the OECD 496 ) and the control of
government by business interests. 497 A coalition of students and trade unions
mobilized 600,000 people in a two-day strike demanding reform. Elections
at the end of 2013 brought in a new government that included key members
of the protest movement, on a platform of reducing inequality and reforming
public education. 498
Hungarians block user fees and privatization
In 2006, the Hungarian government proposed health service reforms including
hospital closures, the introduction of user fees, and the creation of regional,
part-private insurance funds. After parliament passed a first law to introduce
patient fees and fees for other public services, including university education,
campaigners gained enough signatures to force two referenda in 2008, which
eventually led the government to abandon the attempt. 499
Iceland: Popular participation in country’s political evolution
In early 2010, a series of popular protests against the proposed mass bailout of
Iceland’s three main commercial banks forced the newly elected government
– who had pledged to shelter low- and middle-income groups from the worst of
the financial crisis – to hold a referendum on the decision. Ninety three percent
of Icelanders rejected a proposal that the people (rather than the banks) should
pay for the bankruptcy.
“
People are not tolerating
the way a small number of
economic groups benefit from
the system. Having a market
economy is really different
from having a market
society. What we are asking
for, via education reform,
is that the state takes on
a different role.
CAMILA VALLEJO
VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE
STUDENT FEDERATION OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHILE 494
”
“
The government has
failed the average person
in Iceland. It protects
the interests of financial
institutions while it couldn’t
care less about normal people
who have no job, no income
and have lost the ability to
feed their family.
BALDUR JONSSON
A PROTESTOR IN ICELAND 500
”
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