The Punjab government appears to be in a mood to pass the new Punjab Local Government (PLG) Bill 2013 in the Punjab Assembly session scheduled after Eid in the second week of the August.
On the other hand, opposition benches on Wednesday announced that it would move to Supreme Court if their reservations over the proposed LG Bill 2013 were not addressed.
General debate on the bill in Punjab Assembly and suggestion meetings of its special committee would also continue during the first week of August.
During the Wednesday session, Punjab Minister for Local Government Rana Sanaullah said that the government was considering continuing the general debate on the bill to get more suggestions till next Monday or Tuesday, however the bill could be presented in the House after Eid for approval as per the court’s directions to pass it before August 15.
Issues pertaining to the bill, including rural and urban division, limitations of reserved seats for women, delimitation, direct and indirect polling system, financial and administrative powers, were debated in the assembly.
The session started one hour and 15 minutes late from its scheduled time under the chair of PA Deputy Speaker Sher Ali Gorchani, who conducted the proceedings efficiently in the absent of PA Speaker Rana Iqbal, who is performing as the acting Punjab governor these days. The chief minister and the Leader of the Opposition did not attend the sitting.
RULING PARTY SPEAKS UP FOR THE PLG BILL: Sanaullah requested the assembly members to join the suggestions’ meeting of special committee for making the bill a more comprehensive document.
Treasury benches MPA Hina Pervaiz Butt while starting debate on the bill said the Punjab Local Government (PLG) Bill 2013 has delegated more powers to union councils, which was a step forward towards transferring power to the grass-root level. She said there was need to strengthen arbitration system so that the masses did not have to resort to courts and police stations. She said the PLG Bill 2001 encouraged corruption in the departments, adding that local government bill of a dictator divided the masses rather than empowering them. The treasury bencher said, under the 2001 bill, nazims, naib-nazims, tehsil and town nazims were not capable enough to fulfill their responsibilities and the absolute power corrupted all those absolutely.
Hina was impressed by the idea of holding non-party bases elections at basic level, however supported holding party bases elections on the selection of chairmen, vice chairmen, mayors and deputy mayors.
Ruling party members of PML-N including Rana Muhammad Afzal and Asif Bajwa supported the idea of holding LG elections on non political party bases while the opposition members including Dr Nosheen Hamid, Shuneela Rut, Rahila Anwar, and Raja Arif Abasi unanimously pressed the House that local governments were nursery of the upper level politics so such elections should be held on party bases.
All the opposition members supported putting an end to the rural and urban division in the PLG Bill, while some of the treasury members also supported the notion saying that urban and rural division could confuse the system. The PA members were of the view that government should increase the number of councilors up to nine through direct elections with three seats reserved for women, non-Muslims, labourers and peasants through indirect elections. The opposition also urged to provide 33 percent representation of women in the LGs.
OPPOSITION WANTS CHANGES: Addressing the House, Arif Abbasi criticised the Bill saying that it was not according to the Article 140-A of the Constitution and if the government would not remove their reservations over it and try to bulldoze the wishes of masses, they would challenge it in the Supreme Court.
Dr Nosheen Hamid said bureaucracy had been strengthened in the new LG system which was not a good omen for the resolution of people’s problems. She said election should be held on party basis as the non-party election had no agenda.
Opposition member from PTI Raheela Anwar said PML-N had made a solemn commitment in the Charter of Democracy (CoD) to hold LG election on party basis. She said non-party LG election will augment a new era of corruption in the province.
Moreover, the treasury benches minority member, Tariq Masih, said the LG election should be held on non-party basis, adding that the minorities should be allowed to have their own “Panchayat System” in order to resolve their issues as per traditions of their community. MPA Rana Muhamamd Afzal said the ward-system should be abolished in the new bill as the ward system gave birth to grouping amongst the masses. He said number of seats for women should be enhanced in the new bill. Later, the chair adjourned the session till today (Thursday) morning at 10am.