Declare government plight (5)
I believe the answer is:
state
This clue is a triple definition!
'declare' is the first definition.
(I know that declare is a kind of state)
'government' is the second definition.
(the state can mean government authority)
'plight' is the third definition.
(I know that plight is a kind of declare)
(Other definitions for state that I've seen before include "eg Alaska" , "Say; country" , "Declare; affirm" , "Claim" , "Say; nation" .)