THE CONCEPT OF social accountability is an emerging phenomenon in Asia. The concept began when most government mechanisms and market forces failed to promote the public good, especially in eliminating corruption and reducing poverty. It produced a movement toward making direct citizen involvement a prominent aspect of governance.
There are several frameworks of accountability to ensure good governance. But what sets apart social accountability from others is that it refers to “actions initiated by citizen groups to hold public officials, politicians, and service providers to account for their conduct and performance in terms of delivering services, improving people's welfare and protecting people's rights.”(Info Sheet: Putting Social Accountability on the Mainstream, ANSA-EAP.)
Simply put, this approach calls for citizens to remain watchful, vigilant, and proactive in making elected leaders and bureaucrats accountable for their performance even and especially after the election period.
Given this framework of social accountability, it is necessary then to explore Islam and find sufficient basis to say whether Islam supports this concept. More specifically, social accountability finds acceptance in Muslim communities only if it is contextually appropriate.
