LG polls: ‘Indirect ballot will curb independence’

Indirect election on women, youth and minorities seats slammed.

LAHORE:

Speakers at a conference on Importance of Local government System in Punjab and Lahore District, held at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday criticised indirect voting provided for in the recently promulgated Punjab Local Government (Amendment) Ordinance.

They stressed not only the need to hold local government elections without delay, but also to make the local bodies independent.

The conference was organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Development Dimensions Society and was attended by several students.

Pakistan Workers Federation general secretary Aima Mahmood said elite segments across political parties were disconnected with workers and had failed to address their issues. She said the recently promulgated Local Government Ordinance had completely side-lined women, the youth and the working class by reserving seats for them through indirect voting.

“This is a sad development. It allows the government to control the election results.” She said 75 per cent of the working women worked in the non-formal sector. In order for their issues to be addressed, it was essential that they be given due representation in local governments. “Now they are talking about floods and cutting costs to delay the elections further,” she said.

Former federal minister Dr Mubashir Hassan said local governments must be allowed to stay independent. “Local governments are powerless if they don’t have sufficient authority and resources…especially financial resources,” he said.

Dr Hassan said it was essential to understand why those who ruled had failed to invest in people. “Why should they? Why would they?” The ruling elite want to concentrate power and resources in limited circles, he said.

Dr Hassan stressed the need for local governments to have their own police and judiciary, if they were to be made autonomous. HRCP Director Hussain Naqi said indirect voting affected the independence of the electoral process. “Now the election of women, youth, minorities and workers will depend on those in power,” he said.

However, he said, this did not mean that people should not participate in the process. “We must participate if we are to improve on this system,” he said.

Commenting on the reason cited by the Election Commission of Pakistan for requesting a delay in polls, Naqi said elections should be held from October till March. He said the period ensured that the weather did not hinder any such activity.

Salman Abid, regional head of the Strengthening Participatory Organisation, lamented the failure of successive governments to formulate a strategy to deal with the floods. “We face this situation every year, yet we continuously fail to take effective preventative measures.” Abid said.

Governments, all over the world, invest in local bodies and it was time that Pakistan did the same, he said. “Third tier governance helps address issues faced locally by allowing for an efficient governance system.” Abid said provincial governments were responsible for not just holding local government polls but also to provide political, administrative and financial resources to them. “Resistance to making local governments autonomous is the biggest hurdle in making this system effective.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2015.