The local electorate should be able to breathe a sigh of relief now that the way has been cleared for the holding of Local Government Elections as the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill was recently passed in the National Assembly.
It was indeed most unfortunate that the last Local Government Election was held way back in 1994 because of the failure by the Task Force established to complete its work on reform of the local government system in an expeditious manner.
We are all fully aware of the end result in this long delay in the holding of the elections. Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Kellawan Lall, at the last sitting of the National Assembly noted the tremendous adverse impact it had on the functioning of the local system. He said the situation resulted in less efficient delivery of services at the local level such as maintenance of drainage and irrigation, community streets, construction of houses and other facilities.
The minister also made a most pertinent point when he urged that there should be an active public awareness campaign on the reforms of the local government system. And on this note this should not be the responsibility of the government only but rather all political parties which intend to participate in the local government system. Too often everything is left at the government’s feet and this is a culture we need to move away from. On this particular issue all parties have an obligation to educate and enlighten their respective constituencies. In fact, an education programme should be an integral part of any political party worth its salt.
The issue of local governance should never be taken lightly because it is a crucial component of the democratic process as it a major vehicle for deepening and widening of democracy through greater involvement of people at the grass root level in the decision making process that directly impinges on their lives.
Local government serves to decentralise political power and reduces the pressure on central governments to execute developmental work at the community level and therefore the efficient and effective functioning of the system is pivotal to the overall national development programme.
Its relevance and importance to national development is gaining increasing recognition throughout the world, particularly in the developing countries.
The New Nation of Bangladesh in an editorial in 2007 notes: “The urgency of strengthening local government bodies with a view to ensuring transparency and accountability of development activities was rightly emphasised at a round table in the city yesterday. Speakers at the function dwelt on how the importance of local government has been relegated to the background over the years despite there being a system of democratic dispensation for a decade and a half in the country. Gone are the days when the district councils used to be decision makers on many local subjects including education, development of infrastructure at the local level, public health and sanitation. After the transformation to a unitary form of parliamentary democracy after the liberation of Bangladesh the local government system remained uncared for even though the Constitution in clear terms stated that local government institutions would be run by elected representatives of the people. The Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill which sought to amend the Local Authorities (Elections) Act to provide for the postponement of elections of councillors of local democratic organs was passed at last Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly.”
Now that a major hurdle has been overcome it would be hoped that all stakeholders would move with the desired alacrity to have all measures in place to ensure that the elections are held next year.
It would also be wise for political parties to begin considering their candidates who they would wish to stand in the elections and begin the necessary training for potential office holders so that if or when elected they would be well prepared to execute their duties. On this note parties should seek to put up the candidates that are best suited to hold office in the local government system looking beyond loyalty to the party.
Restoration of an effective local government system is of vital importance to accelerating socio-economic development and in this context it should not be viewed with a partisan eye.
