Local government elections delayed further

Although hyped political leaders fulfil the ceremonial duty of representing their people at the state level, the multiplicity of day-to-day grievances plaguing citizens require a ground-level governance system however, as each successive government continues to delay the conduct of the municipality polls, many hapless locals will have to continue driving through broken roads inundated with seeping sewage water.

Despite the passage of nine years since the last local government elections were held in Punjab, there is still no indication that the current PML-N government led by Maryam Nawaz will be able to conduct the elections this year too since the proposal of various amendments to the Local Government Ordinance, 2021 amidst the background of an unfavourable politico-economic national atmosphere has forestalled any signs of progress in the formation of a local government, which could address the woes of citizens.

Pouring out their grievances to the Express Tribune, several citizens from the provincial capital shared their discontentment with the maintenance of sewerage lines, streets, roads and other deteriorating infrastructure in their area, which in the absence of a local government system, were the source of numerous problems in their daily lives. “These issues used to be resolved timely when the local government system was in place. Now, we have no option but to live with these issues, since a resolution is nowhere near in sight,” resented the locals.

According to Salman Abid, an expert in government affairs, the current Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) government in Punjab was unlikely to hold local elections until March next year. “Currently, the country's economy is in a terrible state while the people are also worried due to inflation. In such a scenario, the government's declining popularity renders it unlikely that they will succeed in the elections, unlike in the past, where the PML-N government emerged victorious during the 2015 local body elections. Therefore, after making amendments to the existing Act, the assembly would pass the ordinance and then proceed to address constituencies. However, the government needs to enhance its efficiency and the Election Commission must establish constituencies for this purpose,” analysed Abid.

According to sources of the Express Tribune, the Punjab government plans to introduce significant changes to the local government system including the constitution of urban and rural divisions, abolishment of electronic voting and appointment of administrators under the new system, which will feature Chairman and Vice Chairman positions for Union Councils (UC)’s, Tehsil and District Councils.

“CM Maryam Nawaz formed a committee in the first month of her government, which has now prepared the Local Government Act. This Act will be presented in the Assembly this month, and after its approval, elections will be held soon. The new local government system aims to be strong politically, financially, and administratively, by aligning with the spirit of the Constitution. The new system will also have seats for women and youth. Town and municipal committees, and municipal and metropolitan corporations will be formed, while Union Councils will be empowered to resolve local issues. The Union Council will also have powers to manage solid waste, water, and sanitation, which are essential aspects of the local government system. In development works, powers will be devolved to local governments, and a clear demarcation of responsibilities will be established between different levels of the government. The government plans to increase the budget for Union Councils, building on the previous allocation of Rs0.3 million by the PML-N. Additionally, capacity-building initiatives will be implemented to enable Union Councils to generate their own resources,” informed the Provincial Local Government Minister, Zeeshan Rafiq.