It is easier to divide those hundred persons into ten teams and assign one leader for each team
KARACHI: Decentralisation of power means the functional devolution and dispersing of powers starting from higher to lower levels. It aims to give citizens and their elected representatives more rights and authority to formulate the implementation of laws and policies. Every progressive country has a system in which functional and administrative power is distributed according to the needs of their country’s people. It strives to build a strong infrastructure for implementing policies and procedures to aid the development of their country.
In our country, after the Eighteenth Amendment, more powers were diverted to the provinces by the federal authorities. It is now necessary that provincial authorities devolve powers at the local level to strengthen people at their doorsteps. The function of parliament is policymaking and legislation. It is not the responsibility of elected members of national and provincial assemblies to look after the matters pertaining to water and sewerage, solid waste management, cleanliness of bourns, and streets. These are matters for municipalities, townships, union councils and other locally-elected bodies. It is more suitable for people to access their locally-elected representative than to reach an MNA, MPA, or a minister for their local problems. It will make a system much friendlier when citizens have authorities within their reach to solve problems, in their own cities and towns.
Instead of one person dealing with hundreds of people, it is easier to divide those hundred persons into ten teams and assign one leader for each team. That leader can deal with one single higher authority. Such a system will increase the efficiency and functionality of organisations. The revamping would also result in a genuine and effective democratic system and give a sense of ownership to the people in making them responsible and accountable for their surroundings. The garbage of corruption and inefficiency from top to bottom will automatically decrease and progress will increase with quality and excellence.
Salman Mehmood Chohan
Published in The Express Tribune, August 22nd, 2016.
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