Local govt: ‘Sans law reform, elections will become selections
Amendments to the Local Govt Act should be made through ordinance, says Raja.
Elections will become selections. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
Elections under the Local Government Act 2013 will serve only to empower the government instead of the people. “It would be selection not an election,” Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Punjab Senior Vice-President Muhammad Basharat Raja said at a press conference at the Muslim League House on Tuesday.
Additional General Secretary Nasir Mahmud Gill and Information Secretary Seemal Kamran were also present on the occasion. Raja said during his tenure as chief minister, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi had allocated Rs130 billion annually for the local bodies. The present government had not released even Rs30 billion from the budget it had allocated for the local bodies. He said superior courts and the National Accountability Bureau should take notice of how this money had been spent. The Local Govt Ordinance 2001 should be amended not repealed, he said.
Raja said the courts and the election commission had told the government to remove lacunae in the Local Government Act 2013. This would help bring about an improvement in the system and remove ambiguity.
He said the role of legislative bodies was to establish institutions, but the bill had abolished town committees. This would adversely affect development in urban areas and the problems citizens faced would only increase.
“The government has exercised its power of delimitation after the general elections to manipulate the peoples’ mandate,” he said, “This reeks of foul intentions.”
Raja said there was no local government representation in Education and Health Departments. Instead, members of parliament had representation in the distribution of funds, he said, “The only job the local government now has is to applaud and cheer the MPAs.”
By abolishing the Citizens’ Community Boards, the government had stomped on participation by citizens.
He said Elahi had allocated billions of rupees that were then utilised through consultations and cooperation by the community.
Raja said it did not make sense to hold direct elections for women in rural areas and indirect elections for women in urban areas. “Why are rural women being forced to campaign for their elections?” He said, “Their mobility is often hampered.” Raja advocated a uniform process throughout.
“We will actively participate in these elections,” he said, “We will also form alliances with like-minded political parties.”
Raja said he did not want the elections to be postponed, but if the government wanted to remove ambiguities in the bill, it should do so through an ordinance.
“Our participation in the Punjab Assembly’s proceedings is much more than our representation,” he said. “However, if constitutional ambiguities in the bill are not removed, the election will become selection,” he said, “Local bodies will no longer be of any service to the people.”
“If the election commission is to hold the local bodies’ elections, it should have carried out the delimitation of constituencies as well,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2013.
Elections under the Local Government Act 2013 will serve only to empower the government instead of the people. “It would be selection not an election,” Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Punjab Senior Vice-President Muhammad Basharat Raja said at a press conference at the Muslim League House on Tuesday.
Additional General Secretary Nasir Mahmud Gill and Information Secretary Seemal Kamran were also present on the occasion. Raja said during his tenure as chief minister, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi had allocated Rs130 billion annually for the local bodies. The present government had not released even Rs30 billion from the budget it had allocated for the local bodies. He said superior courts and the National Accountability Bureau should take notice of how this money had been spent. The Local Govt Ordinance 2001 should be amended not repealed, he said.
Raja said the courts and the election commission had told the government to remove lacunae in the Local Government Act 2013. This would help bring about an improvement in the system and remove ambiguity.
He said the role of legislative bodies was to establish institutions, but the bill had abolished town committees. This would adversely affect development in urban areas and the problems citizens faced would only increase.
“The government has exercised its power of delimitation after the general elections to manipulate the peoples’ mandate,” he said, “This reeks of foul intentions.”
Raja said there was no local government representation in Education and Health Departments. Instead, members of parliament had representation in the distribution of funds, he said, “The only job the local government now has is to applaud and cheer the MPAs.”
By abolishing the Citizens’ Community Boards, the government had stomped on participation by citizens.
He said Elahi had allocated billions of rupees that were then utilised through consultations and cooperation by the community.
Raja said it did not make sense to hold direct elections for women in rural areas and indirect elections for women in urban areas. “Why are rural women being forced to campaign for their elections?” He said, “Their mobility is often hampered.” Raja advocated a uniform process throughout.
“We will actively participate in these elections,” he said, “We will also form alliances with like-minded political parties.”
Raja said he did not want the elections to be postponed, but if the government wanted to remove ambiguities in the bill, it should do so through an ordinance.
“Our participation in the Punjab Assembly’s proceedings is much more than our representation,” he said. “However, if constitutional ambiguities in the bill are not removed, the election will become selection,” he said, “Local bodies will no longer be of any service to the people.”
“If the election commission is to hold the local bodies’ elections, it should have carried out the delimitation of constituencies as well,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2013.