LB Law: Will it solve the problems of districts?

[obaid_gondal]

kindly share your VIEWS on upcoming local body law and it's effects on management and development of districts..
The new LG law is not out yet, but this much is certain that elections of local bodies will be held, the nazims will be concerned with development only, DCO would become executive head of the district. The tehsil nazim will be finished and AC 'd run the tehsil government. The union councils will function much as they did in 1979.....

[Kashif Jamil]

Dear
It would be great if you discuss some of the salient features of the bills being discussed about new LG system as you seem to have good understanding of the issue.
Regards

[ayesha_riaz]

Originally Posted by obaid_gondal

kindly share your VIEWS on upcoming local body law and it's effects on management and development of districts..
The new LG law is not out yet, but this much is certain that elections of local bodies will be held, the nazims will be concerned with development only, DCO would become executive head of the district. The tehsil nazim will be finished and AC 'd run the tehsil government. The union councils will function much as they did in 1979.....

I think government is taking right steps by empowering the civil servants in administrative spheres. Musharaf's regime had weakened DMG(i don't know what logic they had ?), But it didn't realized that DMG is central pivot of command, so weakening the DC was just like weakening CE of distract..... And any firm without powerful CE can't function...

I am very much optimistic about this new LAW

[Waseem Riaz Khan]

Originally Posted by ayesha_riaz

I think government is taking right steps by empowering the civil servants in administrative spheres. Musharaf's regime had weakened DMG(i don't know what logic they had ?), But it didn't realized that DMG is central pivot of command, so weakening the DC was just like weakening CE of distract..... And any firm without powerful CE can't function...

I am very much optimistic about this new LAW

DOnt consider the new set-up as final one. Administrators are not going to be there for ever.Elections will be there in 6 months on party basis and nazims will comeback.
I disagree with you that empowering civil service(read DMG) without any civilian checks and balances is going to yeild positive results. Empowering DMG (because we like it) is not the answer. I think the new local govt system will ensure the effectiveness of all parties i.e DCOs, DPOs and Nazims. Giving all the powers to DC will create an atmosphere of resentment in other echelons of civil service as well. So there should be balance of powers. We shouldnt make DCs the Pharaohs of districts altogether.
We cannot and should not subjugate Police to DMG. BOth should be answerable to elected members of district govt.
WE can make the district govt more effective by elections on party basis and allocating more funds to local govt.

[irshadsod]

Military bureaucracy has always remained hostile to civil bureaucracy be it CSS officer, PCS officer or ISI. Reason being they can't bear their power and prestige on the one hand they can't afford the strong bond of civil servants with political governments specially provincial governments. Each military dictator has gave his best try to clip the powers, and authorities of civil servants. By doing this, they manage to create a vacuum in the administration and find chance to micro manage the people through these Nazimz or basic democrats. This was an attack on the civil service which resulted into clashes among the district governments, civil servants and provincial governments. District government powers had to be tricked down through provincial government but military dictator didn't let it happen. What he did was to by pass the provincial government in order to snatch the power from provinces and from civil servants. They evaded one level from this government administration hierarchy and made it flat. Center controlled directly the districts, tahsils, and UCs. In this mess they could not draw a clear demarcation in the new system which resulted into overlapping functions and authorities. Financial distribution ambiguity and other such drawbacks. System worked efficiently only in Karachi due to the support from a very strong, aggressive and coercive party MQM. MQM benefited a lot from this system by manipulating budgets, funds, jobs and plot distributions. (I own Karachi and can sell it). This slogan was famous due to commercialization of government property on very relaxed and unfair methods. A clash erupted when there came a resistance in that plot selling, plots/buildings/and other immovable properties of the government acquisition or encroachment from some factions like Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi. MQM found that resistance a very unwanted halt in its motives of controlling government property. MQM could not encroach those areas and indulged into blame game of land mafias, smugglers, drug sellers, underworld terrorist etc. City Nazim and his allied forces tried their best to suppress those parties, and factions which created hindrances in their malafide intentions of eating up the state property. That resulted into target killings and some times break up in the coalition forces in the government.
Despite these restraints MQM made a lot from this city Nazim position. That is why the only opposition to local government abolishing system came from MQM. They can't even imagine to live without this Nazim system.


Infact system was not bad. Only the intentions of Army and MQM were malafide. Had they honestly intended to bring a positive change in the country and had they adopted proper procedure to implement it there would have been constructive results.


Members are invited to compare 1979 system and current system and suggest for coming.

[oriental]

Hi

Wasn't it good that the power was at the door step of the commoners.Now it is again in the haughty hands of SAHIB-BAHADU janab COMMSSIONER !A system may have flaws but it is no remedy to mark a cross on just in this fashion...This seems to me a game.A Power game..... Instead of rectifying the faults, the Govt has renounce the whole system.....it is a grave matter and it shows the power greed of the establishment...... When the people would be empowered?

[Sociologist PU]

It seems a vicious circle of experminting going on in pakistan. The common man is the victim !
It took too much effort to understand the Nazim sytsem by the ppl. and now a new system is being cooked It will take another 5/6 years to understand the new system and by that time this system will also be shelved by the then government to make one that suit their needs.
Somebody rightly said that pakistan is a graveyard of dead projects !

[KAWISH]

aoa all respected members.a hot issue under discussion!
well ansewr me dear members for the following things first:
a-if new LG law would changed anything for the common?
b-like nazims,CSPs did misused thier powers,is there any provision in the new law to adress these wrongs?
c-why at all the annled law(LG sys 2001)cancelled the then LG sys?
d-n why exactly the old LG sys is restored again?

i agree w/ most of the participants in the discussions who are rather sceptical about this change.but dear i oppose this change not because the previous was laid down by a wrong person(every wrong person can still do some right), but because the old law is restored w/ all its discrepencies.law givers should have thought about it.Division f power is not the all,there must be a check also.....
Thnx Regards

[obaid_gondal]

Originally Posted by waseem gurmani

DOnt consider the new set-up as final one. Administrators are not going to be there for ever.Elections will be there in 6 months on party basis and nazims will comeback.

I think you didn't comprehend the post brother...It was about the new law (yet not approved but is almost complete) that would define the role of Nazims, DCO's and DPO's after these 6 months.

Originally Posted by waseem gurmani

I disagree with you that empowering civil service(read DMG) without any civilian checks and balances is going to yeild positive results.

CM and his cabinet would keep the check and they are thorough civilians...

Originally Posted by waseem gurmani

We cannot and should not subjugate Police to DMG. BOth should be answerable to elected members of district govt.
WE can make the district govt more effective by elections on party basis and allocating more funds to local govt.

In all well governed countries, police is never given a free ride. It is kept under a check. Last regime tried to give Nazims the power to keep the check . But it failed Because a political figure can't be neutral..He has friends and foes And he has to support them in any case. So Nazims used the power to suppress their opponents, victimization and supporting their corrupt friends.
So DMG is the only option.

Originally Posted by oriental

Wasn't it good that the power was at the door step of the commoners.Now it is again in the haughty hands of SAHIB-BAHADU janab COMMSSIONER !.... Instead of rectifying the faults, the Govt has renounce the whole system.....it is a grave matter and it shows the power greed of the establishment...... When the people would be empowered?

Power has never been at the door step of commoners, earlier it was in the hands of aristocrat, elite families of each district,,,, now it would not be with them...

I HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED THAT NAZIMS 'LL HANDLE ALL THE DEVELOPMENT STUFF....But their administrative powers would be seized.Because they are never competent enough to handle administrative tasks.

2ndly GOVERNMENT IS NOT REVIVING THE OLD SYSTEM OF 1979, RATHER IT IS TOTALLY NEW SYSTEM, WHICH DO HV SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF 1979 LAW.

[irshadsod]

DMG can better handle police department instead of Nazim. Educational level of Nazim upto Matric is nothing in the field of administrating such a complex and often highly trained and qualified civil servant.

In addition to this, Obaid has rightly pointed out that a Nazim can't live at arms length and can't isolate himself from the political pressures. Nazim is prone to the undue pressures which ultimately have to be shifted to the shoulders of Police department. So it is not a wise decision to permit police department free of without check and balance of any effective authority. Nazim is weak in putting check and balance on police due to following factors:
1) Educational difference, technically lacking sound understanding
2) Nazim has to get undue favors from Police, hence accountability of police won't be initiated
3) Nazim has lesser financial powers and lesser clear cut doted lines. Lot of ambiguities prevail in the system.