| OVAC Quarterly News Magazine Vol.15 October, 2004 |
 |
| “Share the view” is quarterly publication providing current
information and topics on NGO/NPO sectors in Japan and opinions of Mr.
Noboru Hayase, our Executive Director and editorial writers out of our
monthly opinion magazine “Volo”. Taking into consideration
of the wide-ranged non-governmental activities in Japan, it also includes
information on volunteering, activities & movements of non-profit &
community-based groups. |
|
The Theory of Personal Responsibility"
- Denying the Significance of Civil Action |
 "We would like to apologize to you all for causing so much trouble
and thank you for all your support."
Three young Japanese, two civil activists and a journalist, were held hostage
in Iraq. When they were released unharmed, the families could express nothing
but regret and appreciation at the press conference. They looked pathetic.
That was in stark contrast to the active attitude they took right after
the abduction - urging the government to accept the captors' demands and
withdraw the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) from Iraq. We can easily imagine
the families' fear that the storm of public criticism that they were caught
in could be transferred to the three hostages upon their return to Japan.
From early on, elements of the media, as well as some members of the ruling
coalition, criticized the three hostages and their families. "Lacking
any sense of personal responsibility, their thoughtless and irresponsible
acts impose a severe, unnecessary burden on the government and its related
agencies," the Yomiuri Shimbun, an active leader of the criticism,
said in an editorial, which was echoed by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and
the Sankei Shimbun. Some critics have even gone so far as to call for legislation
to prohibit civilians, including journalists and civil activists, from
entering regions in defiance of the government's evacuation advice.
This "theory of personal responsibility" is apparently very persuasive.
What can we make of it?
Naturally, those people should make every effort to ensure their own safety.
The acts of the former hostages should be assessed from this point of view.
But why did the criticism of the hostages and their families spread so
rapidly before people knew exactly what happened?
The phrase "personal responsibility" has come into widespread
use in the financial field since the introduction of a refund cap on bank
deposits. It has never been used for those who get involved in this kind
of incident. Although many people feel that it is a cold criticism, it
has spread widely in this country. This is partly due to the unprecedented
development of the current hostage crisis.
In this incident the kidnappers demanded the SDF withdrawal from Iraq as
a condition for the release of the hostages. The families also demanded
the withdrawal. Their demands insinuated that the government was one party
of this incident, and at first the abductees' families expressed opinions
that conflicted with the government's Iraq policy. These two factors provided
the background to the spreading of "the theory of personal responsibility."
As for the former factor, it implies that the current incident involved
not only the three hostages but also the government and called the government's
Iraq policy itself into question. Surely, if the government had not dispatched
the SDF troops to Iraq, the incident of the hostage-takers demanding their
withdrawal would not have occurred. However, it was declared that the abductees'
"thoughtless and irresponsible" acts caused the incident. So
the public attention was diverted from debates over the deployment of the
SDF or the conduct of the U.S. Forces, which underlay the incident. As
a result the government's policy remained unquestioned and all the responsibilities
had to be shouldered by the three ex-hostages.
The latter factor also had a powerful effect on the trend. At first the
families demanded the SDF withdrawal. In response, citizens' groups mounted
a campaign for its pull-out and collected about 150 million signatures
in three days. At the same time, they took vigorous actions in the media,
including the Al-Jazeera news network to appeal to the public there for
help.
Although public opinion in Japan has been divided over the deployment in
the first place, the withdrawal means to bow to the demand of terrorists
who use innocent civilians as hostages. It has undermining effects on the
handling of such a crisis. But I do not intend to discuss here the rights
and wrongs of the withdrawal.
The point is that "the theory of personal responsibility" surfaced
as a countermeasure against swelling anti-government activities. Some actually
said, "The Self-Defense Forces should be tasked to carry out the mission
in a dangerous area. Civilians are not allowed to have their own way."
Such logic, if accepted, would impose great limitations on civil action:
citizens' groups could not carry out their missions altogether or would
be put under the control of the SDF.
NPOs are NGOs at the same time. That is a primary reason why NPOs attract
people's attention. Just like governments NPOs are not for profit. On the
other hand NPOs are independent from governments and act according to their
own judgment. This makes their activities wide-ranging, quick and pioneering.
The significance of citizens' groups lies in the fact that they can provide
various solutions which are different from the government's policies and
that they can organize activities which the government cannot take on.
The United Nations, which is a union of national governments, acknowledges
the significance of NGOs. Ever since its establishment, the Economic and
Social Council, one of the main bodies like the Security Council, has recognized
NGOs as its partners.
Governments, pursuing their national interests, can only make limited contributions
to humanitarian aid, which should be politically neutral. The Japanese
government has not yet launched or even planned any supportive activities
for street children in Iraq or any research into the damage of the depleted
uranium shells. This kind of research can only be conducted by a citizens'
group.
In addition, many have reported that anti-U.S. Forces sentiment is spreading
in Iraq. Some perceive the SDF as a loyal follower of the U.S. Forces,
to our regret. Those negative images can be countered by Japanese civil
activities in Iraq. Actually, civilians' efforts were reported to have
worked very well in this incident to liberate the hostages. The good impressions
made by Japanese companies that had done business in Iraq in the past were
also assumed to be helpful. The current incident has proven that civilians
can play important roles in such a situation.
In order to make full use of their advantages, civilians should conduct
their activities at their own risk, of course. Many famous freelance journalists,
like Robert Capa, lost their lives in the battlefield. Some staff members
of NGOs were also killed recently while conducting their activities. The
three released hostages must have been more or less aware of their own
responsibility for their own safety. Unfortunately, they had to face serious
consequences.
However, punitive reactions towards the three are absolutely wrong. The
French daily Le Monde reported on April 20, "The government and conservative
elements of media are desperate to blast the released hostages for acting
irresponsibly although the Japanese people should be proud of these young
citizens driven by humanism." Even U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell,
who has long been urging war on Iraq, said "I'm pleased that these
Japanese citizens were willing to put themselves at risk for a greater
good, for a better purpose. And the Japanese people should be very proud
that they have citizens like this willing to do that." We have to
share these points of view regardless of political stance.
"Personal responsibility" should be used for self-discipline
by citizens. The phrase should never be used to reject those who undertake
challenging tasks.
|
| Noboru Hayase, Executive Director, Osaka Voluntary Action Center |
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