Self-constrained advocacy
Most ENGOs participate in what we call ‘self-constrained advocacy’. When
they learn about a new environmental problem, their tendency is to write
a letter to the relevant government ministry or agency or to representatives
in the National People’s Congress. If leaders have personal relationships
with members of the policy elite, they may call them or meet them in person,
but the usual strategy is to compose a letter, asking for clarification to, or
revision of, policy. Most participation remains top-down: governments invite
ENGOs to participate in drafting regulations or preparing implementation
plans.
Environmental NGOs operate in a country ruled by a Leninist party, and
opposition to the party-state, as revealed in the Tiananmen incident and
Falungong, is forbidden. For this reason, ENGOs do not take direct action in
support of environmental protection objectives, as has been commonplace in
Taiwan. National groups do not stage protest demonstrations or engage in
ecological resistance, tactics employed by ENGOs in many developing
countries, notes Ho.^72 They are moderate in their approach to the government,
non-confrontational, and search for the most effective tools to use in the
Chinese context. Said one ENGO coordinator: ‘Some actions we might take
would be counter-productive, for example, blocking the driveway to the
Premier’s house. We are not protesting for the sake of protesting’.^73 The
founder of GVB explained the ‘mildness’ of her organization’s approach in
these terms:
‘We still adhere to our principles: guide the public instead of blaming them and help
the government instead of complaining about it. This, perhaps, is the “mildness”
referred to by the media. I don’t appreciate extremist methods. I’m engaged in
environmental protection and don’t want to use it for political aims.’^74Business groups and ENGOs
In both Taiwan and China, some ENGOs have formed strong relationships
with business firms. Although neither state facilitates business funding of
ENGOs, through provisions in tax codes allowing write-offs for donations
to non-profit organizations, ENGOS do appeal to the ‘corporate social
responsibility (CSR)’ of modern firms.
In Taiwan, the WS has adopted accommodative policies toward the business
community. Instead of fighting with enterprises, WS invited business leaders
to join its Board of Directors, in the belief that enterprises needed to improve
their social image. At the same time, WS gradually built webs of influence
from the bottom up in these firms. It organized training programs to educate
employees of major enterprises on the importance of environmental
protection. The fund-raising campaigns of WS extended to all corporations in
Taiwan, large and small. The WS has also jointly sponsored, with firms,
ENGOs, civil society and biodiversity conservation 183