Learning from past mistakes
The cantonment board polls, then LG elections in KP, followed by LG elections in Punjab and Sindh three month later will ensure that the third tier of the government is finally in place. This tier is in a way the most important one in a democratic administration as this brings governance many steps closer to the governed. Even very high rates of economic growth fail to reach the poor if the service delivery falls upon a distant government and an unresponsive bureaucracy. Pakistan’s provinces are large. Population wise Punjab is bigger than Turkey, Iran and Egypt taken separately. The provincial capitals in Pakistan are too distant from areas in the hinterland. Parliamentary democracy is strengthened if local issues are addressed at the grass roots level. Basic services and civic amenities affecting the people directly can be delivered and monitored effectively only at the local level.
Under military administrations of Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf the governments put extra large resources at the disposal of the local governments. The idea was to prepare nurseries of politicians loyal to the military rulers. With the revival of democracy in 2008, the ruling parties PPP and PML-N were wary of the local governments. What is more, the chief ministers wanted to keep the development funds at their disposal. They did not therefore hold the elections during the 20008-2013 period.
This year elections were finally announced under pressure from the Supreme Court. In KP the PTI administration made full use of the government machinery to foist party loyalists on the grass root bodies. The ECP failed to assert its authority over the police and the election staff.
There is a need on the part of the ECP to learn from past mistakes. Instead of holding the election on one day, it should hold it in three phases. The ECP should be more assertive and make the police and the election staff work in accordance with rules and regulations.
