Government And Rotarians Building A Nation Together
Non-governmental organisations and service organisations such as Rotary had an image. They were seen as marginal to the society dominated by the Government in every country.
People believed that Government should and could discharge all major social tasks and that the role of the NGOs and service organisations, if any, was to supplement governmental programmes. This was the public image of Rotary years ago.
Today, we know better. Today, NGOs and Rotary are central to any society. People know that the ability of the government in developing countries to perform social tasks is limited. We have seen Rotary discharge bigger jobs and take care of specific needs.
When we talk about Government and Rotary building a nation we have to tread cautiously on the topic. Rotary does something very different from a business enterprise or government. Business supplies either goods or services. Government controls.
A business is discharged when the customer buys the product, pays for it and is satisfied. Government has discharged its function when its policies are effective.
Rotary neither supplies goods or service nor controls. So what does Rotary do? What is its product? Rotary’s product is a changed human being. Rotary’s product is a cured patient, a child that learns, a youngster who grows up into a self –respecting adult and a nation that has rid itself of diseases such as polio.
That is what Rotarians do to build a nation. A Rotarian is a person who searches for life’s ineffable questions and in doing so finds his way into the company of fellow seekers.
Rotarians come from every nation and from various races, social and economic levels. But they all hold similar ideals and beliefs. This belief is grounded by certain landmark tenants and virtues which is the 4 Way Test and have the motto Service Above Self which ultimately leads to the betterment of humanity. It is the duty of the Rotarian to assist in elevating the ethical and intellectual level of the community they serve.
When a government works with Rotary, it should understand that the partnership is solely for the purpose of doing good to the people and not for scoring any brownie points for electoral gains.
The E-learning programme in Maharashtra is a Government initiative and Rotary is actively participating in it. The polio eradication is an example of how the partnership saved millions of children worldwide. There are many such examples.
Governments, while working with Rotary, need to know that Rotary is a human change agent, a catalyst for peace and is made up of volunteers.
Rotary addresses the problems in the society. So does the Government. Rotary addresses the ‘bad’ news. Rotary is not the story. There is a space between man’s imagination and man’s attainment. Rotary can bridge this space by working with the government in more and more critical areas which will help the community.