Mary Ellen McNish 2014-04-18T19:20:05-04:00 Mary Ellen McNish Copyright 2008,, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Mary Ellen McNish Good old fashioned elbow grease. The Power of Grassroots Democracy,2012:/theblog//3.2165186 2012-11-21T09:27:16-05:00 2013-01-21T05:12:01-05:00 Mary Ellen McNish Tulsa is a woman leader elected as president of her local council in Madhya Pradesh, one of India's poorest states. According to UNICEF, almost 40 percent of the Madhya Pradesh population lives below the poverty line, and it is estimated that two-thirds of the children are malnourished. Tulsa's community has schools, health centers and even a community hall; however, this infrastructure and resources did not guarantee the improvement of people's quality of life.

Tulsa asked: Why wasn't this happening?

She learned that only upper caste members were able to access these resources in her community. Yet the state of Madhya Pradesh is home to 40 percent of India's tribal population, known as "scheduled tribes" or "scheduled castes," which are among the country's most marginalized and vulnerable populations. This lack of equality and accountability meant that these government-provided resources weren't reaching those who needed them.

Holding local government to account is one of the most important tools people have to end their own hunger and poverty. But in most of the developing world, this is just a dream. Most impoverished countries suffer from weak local government systems, compounded by a complete disregard for the abilities of women and people from marginalized communities to participate and lead.

But this is beginning to change, particularly in India, where in 1992 the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution mandated that one-third of all seats in local councils be reserved for women. In some states, including Madhya Pradesh, this reservation has been increased to 50 percent. And though not popular or easy to implement, with time and hard work it is making a difference throughout the villages of India.

With the support of programs aimed to empower women's active participation in the decision-making processes of local government, more than one million women are serving as elected officials in their communities and millions more are working as informed citizens. As a result, they are making tremendous progress on issues such as clean drinking water, sanitation, education, domestic violence and alcoholism.

Tulsa is one such elected woman leader. Tulsa learned that her community's facilities were only being accessed by upper caste members during a "Sajha Manch" meeting. Sajha Manch, a new innovation launched in partnership with The Hunger Project and UN Women, is a forum where women from the area gather to participate in solving their community's problems as informed citizens. Tulsa and nearly 23,000 women are now participating in 315 such forums across three states in India.

Tulsa personally began holding Sajha Manch meetings in 2010 and encouraged women from all castes to attend. She mobilized the participating women to visit different villages in their community to motivate other mothers to send their children to school and begin using the health centers, regardless of their caste. By creating this union of women with access to training about their rights and responsibilities, the Sajha Manch enabled the community of Lakhakhera to change. Shanti, one of the members, shared, "Until we and our children start going to these centers and show the way, how would others go? So we did, and soon others followed."

Inclusive, participatory grassroots democracy -- particularly for women and marginalized communities -- is key to eradicating poverty and hunger. This requires effective national and local government working in partnership with the people. When people are empowered to participate in their democratic processes through programs like the Sajha Manch, they ensure that in formerly neglected areas like Tulsa's community, roads are being built, electricity is available, more girl children are in school and community members are confidently accessing resources like health centers that are rightfully theirs.

With strengthened capacity and an empowered citizenry holding representatives accountable, local government has the potential to be the most powerful actor in ensuring sustainable development.

Our Best Way Forward in Afghanistan is Out,2009:/theblog//3.311009 2009-10-06T11:11:40-04:00 2011-05-25T14:15:20-04:00 Mary Ellen McNish
That there is even a debate over what course to take demonstrates we have yet to learn lessons from the past 30 years in Afghanistan. If President Obama ignores those lessons, he risks losing the fragile international good will that currently exists and makes matters worse for the Afghan people, their neighbors in Pakistan, and eventually Americans.

In the late 1970s, as its part of the Cold War, the U.S. began what became the largest covert CIA operation in history, arming and financing Islamist resistance forces, funneling billions through the Pakistani Intelligence Service. When the Soviet troops withdrew and the Soviet Union disintegrated we "cut and ran." We withheld development assistance and aid critical to revitalizing Afghan institutions. Afghans call that period the "lost years" when the Taliban seized control of Kabul and gave al-Qaeda a safe haven.

After the Soviet withdrawal, the Afghan people suffered a brutal civil war for 11 years, fueled by those, including warlords, armed by both the U.S. and Pakistan. The battle over Kabul emptied the city, one quarter of the population fled to Iran and Pakistan as refugees, malnutrition rates skyrocketed, and the collapse of any nationwide government structure complicated efforts to provide any relief. The international community did little to help. Afghanistan turned into the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

Afghans suffer the impact of that history today. The 2001 U.S./U.K. invasion employed some of the same warlords as allies in overthrowing the Taliban and controlling the country. The recent presidential elections in Afghanistan saw widespread corruption, an embrace of warlords, and vote rigging mostly attributed to supporters of President Karzai. Many Afghans are outraged that individuals accused of major human rights violations continue to serve with impunity in the U.S.-backed government.

Three decades of foreign intervention in Afghanistan has failed the Afghan people. It also has made the rest of the world more insecure. The U.S. cannot undo this legacy with half measures or engaging with a specific set of "allies" again. What both Afghans and Americans deserve is a full, public discussion of the policy choices looming in the next weeks. We must choose to demonstrate a commitment to the rule of law, not violence, as the most important foundation for real security.

We will not achieve that goal with a "better" occupation, more troops, or more weapons. The answer will not be found with the tools of counterinsurgency featuring covert special operations, extra-judicial killings and the increased use of drones. We should not arm the "right" set of warlords and militia. Instead, we should help Afghans to include all stakeholders in a transparent, fair political process which is key to a reduction of violence in Afghanistan. Most importantly, we must institute a military withdrawal.

Far from "abandoning" Afghanistan again, a withdrawal is only the first step toward a serious campaign of sustained support for Afghanistan's people as they rebuild.

While most Americans do not support a further buildup in U.S. forces, there is, as yet, little support for providing billions in real repair and assistance funds that must be provided even as troops are withdrawn. To once again abandon Afghanistan will be a tragedy for us all - Americans and Afghans.]]>
Values Should Guide Response to Financial Crisis,2008:/theblog//3.129716 2008-09-26T17:49:34-04:00 2011-05-25T12:45:25-04:00 Mary Ellen McNish
Our nation's household is in trouble. Economic inequality is at its highest level since the Great Depression. The U.S. economy has shed 600,000 jobs this year. Food banks and homeless shelters are turning people away. While our nation spends $720 million a day on the Iraq war, millions of households face a winter without heat because social programs have been starved of funds for eight years. In our global household, 26,000 children under 5 die from preventable causes every day.

Many people know there is something wrong with this picture. They believe it is unfair for Congress to impose strict bankruptcy rules on individuals while rushing to bail out firms which built a house of cards with other people's money. They question why the same private interests that convinced policymakers to deregulate the financial sector and ignore predatory mortgage lending practices are allowed a role in shaping bailout legislation. No wonder that the person on the street is telling reporters that a bailout will leave the "fat cats" richer and the "little guy" further behind.

A common set of principles has helped the American Friends Service Committee apply Quaker beliefs in simplicity, equality, and the dignity of each person to issues like international trade, poverty, and business ethics. These principles may provide a helpful lens through which to evaluate proposals to strengthen the economy. They include:

  1. Human rights. Solutions should nourish the dignity and human rights of all people as called for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This includes an inherent human right to food, shelter, health care, and an adequate standard of living. People should be free to exercise political and civil rights in order to obtain these economic rights.

  2. A seat at the table. How can we solve this problem in a way that moves toward greater transparency and justice? Taxpayers who will be expected to foot the bill for solutions should have a say in the process. Congress should heed public input and take a strong oversight role. People can call Congress and join groups working on this issue. Over the long run, we can all help "democratize the economy" as members of credit unions, cooperatives, labor unions, community groups, and as shareholders and voters. Civic engagement increases democracy. Undue political influence by corporate and financial interests limits it.

  3. The common good. Solutions should benefit the many, not the few. As feminist activist Barbara Deming once wrote, "We are all part of one another." The way the crisis on Wall Street is resonating on Main Street and around the world is a poignant example of this truth. A society cannot move ahead when it leaves anyone behind.

  4. Social responsibility. Solutions should include a role for a strong public sector and a responsible private sector that sees itself as part of a community of people accountable to each other. A business ethic that supports worker rights, protects the environment, and pays livable wages nurtures human dignity and rights. Those rights are harmed by unethical practices which transfer resources away from workers, shareholders, and communities.

What would a plan to strengthen the economy look like viewed through this lens? Some elements it would include are limits on executive pay, fair and progressive taxation, strengthened regulation and public control, and measures to reduce foreclosures, create jobs, and re-fund human needs.

We are all part of one another. Our society cannot abandon people and communities and expect to remain healthy and whole. We cannot afford to keep accumulating debt while giving tax breaks to the most affluent and paying for a $720 million-a-day war. We have to make choices. Congress should not rush into hasty solutions as it rushed into the Iraq war. Rather, solutions must come from a place of our deepest values and with the utmost care.

Mary Ellen McNish is the General Secretary of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization which works for peace, justice and humanitarian service.]]>