Local government systems: New plan to appease all partners

Land use and revenue would stay with provincial government.


Hafeez Tunio October 27, 2011

KARACHI:


In a fresh bid to pacify disgruntled elements within its own party and appease its coalition partners, the Sindh government is likely to come up with a proposal that charts a middle way between the local government systems of 1979 and 2001.


The proposed scheme deprives the city and district governments of control over the purse strings, that is the revenue and land utilisation departments, officials privy to the exercise told The Express Tribune. These affairs would be directly managed by the Sindh government.

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (under 1979 law) would become a “People’s City Metropolitan Corporation.”

In what appears to be a perplexing scheme, the proposal suggests retaining 18 towns and 178 union councils but setting up “people’s city local government boards” in the five defunct districts (East, West, Central, Malir and South). But the source would not admit that this by implication would actually mean reviving the five districts, which was a bone of contention in the first place.

These boards would have elected members and councillors who would elect a mayor and deputy mayor. In the districts there would be a People’s district local government board. The present system, as formulated under the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001, draws its life from an ordinance which was issued by the governor in August. It expires on November 6 and cannot be reissued or revalidated after the 18th Amendment.

But both coalition partners, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), have yet to see eye to eye on which system should be adopted in the province. Official sources told The Express Tribune that the local government department has prepared a draft to ease tensions - at least for now.

The controversy over the local government system has put the coalition in Sindh under tremendous strain, exposed by changes made and withdrawn in quick succession over the last few months.

The revival of the commissionerate system, hours after the MQM pulled out of the coalition, widened the gulf between it and the PPP. However, most of the ruling party leaders and its other coalition partners, including the PML-F, National People’s Party, Awami National Party welcomed the move, while opposing SLGO 2001, which was introduced by General Pervez Musharraf.

All the parties, excluding the MQM, have called for amendments to the old system or a new local government system which, according to them, should be acceptable to everyone. But the MQM wants the 2001 system to stay and has been opposing the commissionerate system, which was once revived through a bill adopted in the Sindh Assembly on July 13. But the pressure of an enraged coalition partner, the MQM, compelled the government to roll back its decision within a few days.

A core committee meeting of the PPP and MQM is scheduled to be held at Governor House on October 31. It is expected they will take up the proposal.

PML-F leader Imtiaz Shaikh, who is the adviser to the CM on special education, told The Express Tribune that they had prepared their own formula, suggesting the government control revenue. “We have not seen the new proposal prepared by the local government department. Let us have a look at it before commenting on the same,” he said, adding that it seemed as if the government has used their formula.

The MQM’s Wasay Jalil didn’t know of the proposal and said it would be premature for the party to comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2011.

COMMENTS (4)

Karachi BeavEr | 12 years ago | Reply

MQM is adamant over any amendments over LGS 2001 because it gave MQM immense powers to rule over the people. LGS 2001 is a faulty document and it is needed to be cut, curtailed and somewhat enhanced as far as magisterial powers are concerned so that Commionser and Mayor can serve the masses better. Magisterial and Police powers should be handed to commissioners and development work should be devolved to local district Nazims/Mayors.

Obsever from UK | 12 years ago | Reply No other formula will be acceptable than reverting to the system which was in force before the Sector Commander of MQM in Islamabad, Musharraf, who invented CDGK to handover Karachi and Hyderabad to MQM as if it was their private property.
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