28.07.2013 Lacking the local level
The disconnect between the state and society is expanding due to the absence of institutions at the basic level through which the state delivers
services
By Raza Khan
Eventually, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has ordered the four provinces and Islamabad administration to complete legal and administrative formalities, including delimitation of constituencies by August 15 so that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) could hold local government elections in September. The SCP has also directed all the provinces to issue schedule for their respective local government elections as the former wants the elections in September.
The provinces, which under previous governments were reluctant to hold local government elections, are now ready to have them but needs some time in this regard. In particular, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces have told the SCP that they would be ready in a couple of months to hold local government elections while the Punjab has also finally expressed its willingness to have these elections. Sindh, which is again ruled by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has told the court that it is not possible for it to hold elections within a few months as it needed more time to make arrangements.
The main problem of the PPP government in Sindh regarding the local government is that it has serious difference over the structure of LG system in the province with its previous coalition partner the MQM. The latter wanted a separate system for urban Sindh than rest of the province. The PPP, during its last stint in power in the province, had even agreed to the MQM demand and had issued notification for a dichotomous LG system. However, stiff resistance from within the party and Sindhi nationalist parties forced the PPP to take back the decision.
Punjab, though has problems with holding LG elections, has agreed to do so following the SCP orders. The PML-N having a sweeping majority in the provincial legislature is now in a better position to hold elections.
The KP, which is now ruled by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led coalition, is showing alacrity to have LG elections as it has been a cornerstone of the party’s election manifesto and politics of ‘changing the system’. The PTI had promised to introduce a new system of local government in all the provinces.
The PTI is going to shortly unveil a new LG system in which a new tier of Village Council would be introduced. This is quite innovative as governmental and administrative powers have never been devolved to such a rudimentary level of human habitation. The proposed village council would be the lowest tier while above there would be the union, tehsil and district councils.
Balochistan has also shown its readiness to hold LG polls. This is quite important because of all the four provinces Balochistan needs the local government system most urgently. Still, most of the districts of the province are ‘B’ areas where policing is not possible and, thus, levies are given law and order duties. So, when in an area policing is not possible it means that there is a huge administrative vacuum there. In this context, local government would be instrumental in filling this administrative vacuum.
The SCP, taking a stern notice of the dillydallying attitude of some provinces regarding holding local government elections, warned that the delay of a single day would not be tolerated in this regard. This stand of the SCP needs to be applauded because the traditional ruling parties have not had a favourable attitude towards the local government. This is fundamentally because of a tendency for the concentration of political and administrative powers in a few hands.
Since the introduction of the local government system in 2001 by General Musharraf, the two successive local government elections had somewhat stabilised the system at its core and it was expected that with two or three further elections, anomalies in the local government system would have been removed. However, since the return of elected governments in 2008, the political parties have been shying away from holding local government elections on one pretext or the other.
For feudal or feudal-turned-industrial classes, surrendering power to people is akin to depriving the political elite of its traditional hold on power. Continuation of the status quo denies any space for development and progress. The delay in holding local government elections has inflicted colossal damage on the process of good governance.
Holding of local government elections is the constitutional responsibility of the provinces under Article 32 and 140 A of the Constitution which they have been overlooking on one pretext or the other.
The SCP bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, observed during the case regarding law and order in Balochistan that the new government also failed to maintain law and order. The court rightly observed that without having local government, the situation would not improve.
State administers its territories through institutions and local bodies are the fundamental administrative machinery which carries out all the governmental functions.
In Pakistan, the raison d’ętre of many problems is the disconnect between the state and society. It is in this context that the august court observed, “Prima facie, we are of the opinion that for want of a network at the grassroots level it is difficult to establish contact with citizens living in far-flung areas.”
This disconnect has expanded over the years. Because the policies, which are conceived and formulated at the state level or parliaments, cannot be implemented at the local level due to political-democratic vacuum due the absence of local governments.
The installation of local elected councils would reduce the burden of administration on the provincial governments. The provincial ministers and their departments, in such a situation, would concentrate more on policy. Therefore, if the state has to address the grave administrative lacuna and to link the disconnected state and society it has to ensure the holding of local government elections at the earliest.
The writer is a political analyst and researcher.razapkhan @yahoo.co