News
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Government urged to revive local bodies system* Speakers at seminar call for local bodies polls on party basis
* Say commissionerate system no substitute for local government system
LAHORE: Declaring the revival of the commissionerate system unconstitutional and undemocratic, speakers at a seminar urged the government to revive the local government system under the LGO 2001 and hold local bodies polls on party basis.
The seminar on the topic of ‘Punjab Local Govt Bill 2012’ was organised by the Centre for Peace and Democracy in collaboration with the monthly Nia Zamana and the Strengthening Participatory Organisation at SAFMA on Wednesday.
Among others, Tariq Sana Bajwa of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Umer Sarfaraz Cheema of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), MPA Zulfiqar Gondal of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Aamir Butt of the Urban Resource Centre, Shoaib Adil and Liaqat Ali were the keynote speakers.
The speakers said that revival of the commissionerate system would in no way be a substitute for the local government system in which people at grassroots were elected. After the 18th Amendment to the constitution, it was expected that democracy would flourish, but the decision of the government had discouraged all such hopes, they said.
They said the “lords of bureaucracy” along with the ruling politicians had decided to have the old district and sub-divisional magistrates back.
Zulfiqar Gondal, while supporting the LGO 1979 introduced in the General Ziaul Haq era, argued that General Zia had established a parallel government to control funds by keeping away the MNAs and MPAs of popular political parties.
Practically speaking, he said, people did not want legislation, neither the 18th Amendment nor the NFC Award, rather they wanted a better sanitation system and cleanliness. That is why political parties were bound to keep such powers with them so that their MNAs and MPAs could be involved in each and every development work to attract voters.
Criticising some points of the local government bill, he said there were no criteria regarding election opportunities for the youth. He opposed the 33 percent quota for women in local bodies’ polls, saying it was totally impracticable, particularly in rural areas.
Umer Sarfaraz Cheema, supporting the LGO 2001, said the PTI was against Musharraf’s rule, but supported his local bodies system. He said his party wanted to solve education and health-related issues at town level, as parliament’s task was only legislation. He emphasised that elections should be on party basis.
Liaqat Ali Advocate said that party-based local bodies’ polls would bring harmony, patience and tolerance in society, instead of polarisation. Besides, rural areas would be developed and migration from villages to cities would be stopped, as people’s issues would be resolved at their door-steps, he said.
Participants of the discussion were of the view that the decision was taken in a hurry, issuing notifications one after another without taking into consideration their far-reaching impact. Better changes could have been made to the system but the government throttled it by imposing undemocratic system, which was designed during the British rule, they said. The law was related not merely to the political parties, big cities or urban areas of Punjab, but it was related to the entire province and rest of the country, speakers said.
While the structure of the local government system has been changed, no date for elections has been announced.
The participants of the discussion stated that with repeal of the Local Government Ordinance 2001, all development work would come to a standstill and thousands of workers will be rendered jobless. It was well settled that good governance was impossible without consolidation of local bodies as the third tier of a constitutional government, with all necessary administrative and financial powers, the participants said.
The speakers at the seminar, challenging the revival of the commissionerate system in Punjab, pointed out that all political parties, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Jamaat-e-Islami, Awami National Party and others had supported the Local Government Ordinance 2001 in the past as it was successfully implemented not only in developing countries but also in Pakistan.
They said that LGO 2001 had become more effective after the incorporation of the Article 140-A in the Constitution of 1973, whereby each province should by law establish a local government system and devolve political, administrative, financial responsibility and authority to elect the representatives of the government. pr
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk