Introduction

The past two decades have seen a substantial increase in the number, size and scope of the non-governmental organisations (NGOs). These organisations have established themselves in pivotal positions in the social, economic and political landscapes across the globe. In Southeast Asia, as in much of the rest of the developing world, NGOs have proliferated since the early 1980s. In Thailand, in the early 1990s it was estimated that there were 10,000 NGOs, indicating a 250 per cent increase from around 4,000 in the early 1980s (Farrington et al. 1993b: 277). In Malaysia, 14,000 similar organisations were registered under the 1966 Societies Act in the early 1990s (Clarke 1998: 26). In Singapore, the number of registered charities and social organisations grew from 656 in 1988 to 4,562 in 1994 (Clarke 1998: 26). In the Philippines, between 1985 and 1995, the number of NGOs increased by 260 per cent from an estimated 27,100 to 70,200 (Clarke 1998: 93). In Indonesia, while there is no accurate data on the exact number of NGOs, it is believed that the number of NGOs has grown significantly from 10,000 in 1996 to around 70,000 in 2000 (BPS 2000: 34).