Local government bills: Speakers say provincial LG laws could be improved

National Assembly yet to pass LG law for FATA, ICT, Cantts.

ISLAMABAD:

Provincial laws on Local Government (LG) system do not provide adequate political, fiscal and administrative autonomy at grassroots and the narrative cannot change unless a proper system of local governance introduced.

This was the crux of the speeches made during a round table discussion on “Local Government Bills” organised by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) here on Monday to make a comparative analysis of the LG laws passed by the provincial governments.

Speakers termed the provincial laws recently passed by the provinces insufficient and urged the lawmakers to revise them in order to reap the best possible benefits of the LG system.

They also agreed that a new system, in line with both constitutional and international obligations was essential for effective governance in the country and unless political, administrative and fiscal autonomy is given to people at grassroots, none of the assemblies will be able to properly discharge their functions of representational oversight.



Speaking at the occasion, Supreme Court (SC) lawyer Shahid Hamid said an effective local government was not possible without fiscal autonomy. He was also of the opinion that the provincial governments’ role in the LG system should be limited to the provision of policy guidelines only.

“The current provincial local government laws (PLGL) provide an excessive role and arbitrary powers to provincial governments. The Punjab Local Government Act 2013 leaves key departments of health and education under the provincial government,” he said. Hamid maintained that in this context, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have struck a better balance.

PILDAT developed a comparative analysis of the four Provincial Local Government Acts 2013 with LGO 2001 and Kerala acts, which was also shared in paper form at the seminar. PILDAT President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob said the federal government has yet to introduce LG laws for the (FATA), while the LG laws for Islamabad and cantonments have merely been ‘tabled’ in the Parliament.



Representing Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf — a party yet to announce the LG election date in K-P — MNA Dr Arif Alvi believed Sindh offered the most restrictive law in terms of power and autonomy on lower level.

Countering his argument, Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Dr Shehla Raza assured she will take back the proposals to the Sindh Assembly for discussion.

Earlier, PILDAT Joint Director Aasiya Riaz said, “The laws were only passed after the apex court pressurised the provincial governments to hold local bodies’ election,” adding all four of the passed laws were limited in scope and, comparatively incoherent.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2013.