THERE is often talk, much of it justified, of the myriad challenges democracy in Pakistan faces. But lost amidst the chatter is the fact that for long stretches during this country’s history, the elected third tier of government — some would say the basic structure of the democratic edifice — has been missing.
Take the case of Sindh: the province has been without elected local governments for over six years.
Though the election process concluded in December, till now the local bodies have failed to start functioning because mayoral elections have not been held — due to legal wrangles and procrastination by the provincial government. But on Thursday, the ECP made a welcome announcement in this regard, saying that mayoral elections in Karachi and most of Sindh’s other districts would be held on Aug 24.
We should mark the date and hope no further hurdles are placed in the way of functional local governments.
Perhaps more than any other level of government, it is the local bodies that citizens interact with the most, whether it is matters of sanitation in the neighbourhood, or other civic issues.
Hence it is unforgivable that the people of Sindh, particularly the megacity of Karachi, have been deprived of elected representatives at this level for so long.
The results of this neglect have manifested themselves in unsightly ways, as the mounds of putrid garbage, rivulets of sewage and potholed roads in Karachi testify.
The civic situation in other parts of Sindh is hardly any better. Therefore, to address these cases of extreme urban decay, it is essential that Murad Ali Shah, the new chief minister of Sindh, give the local bodies the powers they need.
The PPP government had earlier deprived the third tier of many key powers; for example, solid waste disposal is currently being looked after by the province. Should picking up the trash from the roads of Karachi, Hyderabad and Larkana be the responsibility of the honourable chief minister or local government minister? Or should it be a job for the town and municipal governments? The answer is self-evident.
Moreover, the revival of the Karachi Development Authority has been seen by some quarters as a move to further disempower the next city mayor.
The provincial government micromanaging civic affairs flies in the face of devolution of power. Which is why the mayors and elected officials of Sindh’s cities and towns must have the powers to run their jurisdictions.
Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016