In order to strengthen and establish democracy in the country, it is integral that the local government (LG) system be reinstated and established. The absence of local democratic institutions has been affecting the process of governance too. We must realise the fact that the country is facing a crisis and people have no access or reach to local authorities in search of their problems.
But the problem is that while politicians criticise military governments to no end, they themselves do very little to establish democracy within the institutions. This is despite the fact that politicians must hold LG elections under their provincial powers, that is, it is the province’s responsibility to ensure that these elections are held on time. If this happens, the public can make their decisions too and elect whoever they want and therefore make attempts to end issues that they may be facing.
These issues were addressed by various speakers at a seminar organised by the Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) at a local hotel on Thursday.
They said that if provinces were getting their powers from the federation then it was on part of the provinces who oversaw that the powers were then further devolved down to the grass root levels. They said that the most unfortunate part of the whole issue was that the two of the most powerful parties that had signed the Charter of Democracy, were now finding faults with the LG system and using delaying tactics not to establish it, while in Sindh and Balochistan, bureaucracy is being encouraged once again by high-ups by bringing in the 1979 LG system introduced by military dictator Ziaul Haq, who implemented it only to place his own people on the right slots. The Punjab government too has introduced the commissioner system, which is causing uproar on one side while promoting confusion on the other. The Punjab government has promised many times to hold LG elections, but it is still not implementing this.
The speakers said that the LG system should be restated at once and should be done quickly and flaws that they feel are present in the current LG system should be discussed openly so that everyone could know. The LG system would also help the involvement of sidelined sections of society like women, minorities, and working class to take part in the democratic and political processes.
