Shakhawat Liton
A landmark chapter is going to be written in the history of the country’s local government system as the upazila parishads go to polls today amid high expectations of people after around 19 long years.
The most crucial local government body in terms of formation and functions, an upazila parishad is viewed by many experts as a “mini-parliament” with significant constitutional jurisdictions to run local administration and implement plans for economic and social development.
But, the future and success of the upazila parishads still hangs in the balance as it largely depends on the factor whether the newly elected government will allow the local government bodies to function uninterrupted or empower lawmakers again to intervene in their activities.
The uncertainty is expected to be resolved in the inaugural session of the ninth parliament on January 25.
Successive governments since restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1991 have kept upazilas dysfunctional either by dissolving the system or by not forming the bodies through elections, violating the constitutional provision that says the state shall encourage local government institutions.
Interestingly, each of the previous governments had pledged in their electoral manifestos to strengthen the local government system. But once voted to power, they rather made efforts to paralyse the local government bodies to establish party supremacy over the local administration. Most lawmakers of the ruling party always stood against the system out of a fear of losing control over local development work.
The immediate past caretaker government brought some significant reforms in the local government laws regarding its formation and functions, which has given hopes for changes. People again dream about a strong local government system to ensure decentralisation of power to end shallow political culture centring local development, which is largely controlled by partisan lawmakers and party men to ensure win in parliamentary polls.
With the fresh hopes, as many as 7,32,58,950 people are entitled to cast votes to choose 480 chairmen and the same number of vice-chair and women vice-chair of the parishads from over 8,000 contenders.
The government and the Election Commission (EC) have made all-out preparations to hold the crucial polls peacefully; a large number of law enforcers including the army have been deployed, but apprehension for violence still exists. And for the first time, a voter list with photographs and transparent ballot boxes are being used in the upazila elections.
The EC has also made various efforts to ensure a free and fair election so that people can choose competent and honest candidates for the upazila parishads, which will work for their welfare.
After three-week-long hectic electioneering, the contenders, mostly grassroots level leaders of political parties, are now waiting for the people’s verdict.
Those who will get elected will have to resign from their party posts, if they hold any, before taking oath to the offices as per the new law made to free the local government bodies from the influence of partisan politics.
Experts on local government said if the central government does not ignore the constitutional provisions and allows the upazila parishads to work uninterrupted, it would change the picture at local level administration by establishing people’s participation in it.
“The functions of upazila parishads are very significant. The parishads are considered mini-parliament to address the local issues,” Prof Tofail Ahmed, a member of Local Government Commission, told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said new leadership would come out if the upazila parishads are strengthened and allowed to function properly. People will also get better services as the upazila itself is a service delivery institution in nature, he added.
“It is not possible for the central government to effectively solve the local problems. But the local government bodies can do it smoothly,” Tofail said.
Introduced in an ordinance in 1982 by the then military ruler in efforts to decentralise power, the first election to upazila parishads was held in 1985 and the second in 1990. Since its introduction, conflict between upazila chairmen and local MPs emerged as a major obstacle to strengthening the new system.
The then BNP government in 1991 favoured lawmakers’ interests by dissolving the upazila parishads instead of taking steps to reduce the conflicts.
In line with electoral pledges, the Awami League (AL) government in 1998 revived the upazila system by enacting a law but it empowered lawmakers to interfere in the upazila parishads’ activities by making them advisers to the parishads of their constituencies. However, the election to upazila parishads was not held during the AL’s five-year tenure.
Then the BNP-led alliance government passed its 2001-2006 tenure dillydallying to decide the fate of the upazila parishads, which ultimately served the lawmakers’ interests.
The caretaker government made the new upazila parishad law in June 2008, curtailing MPs’ authority to interfere in the parishads’ activities and returned the jurisdiction of fixing timeframe for the polls to the EC.
Now, if the central government really believes in democracy, it has no alternative to strengthening the local government system by ensuring effective participation of people through their elected representatives in administration at all levels in line with the fundamental principle of state policy laid down in the constitution.
FORMATION AND FUNCTIONS
Comprised of a chairman, two vice-chairpersons, chairmen of all union parishads and mayor of municipality, if there is any under a given upazila, and a certain number of women members from reserved seats, an upazila parishad will sit at least once a month to review the ongoing activities and decide the next course of actions.
As per article 59 of the constitution, the upazila parishads are designated to perform significant functions relating to administration and the work of public officers, maintenance of public order, preparation and implementation of plans relating to public services and economic development.
According to article 60, to give the provisions of the previous article full effect, parliament shall, by law, confer powers on the local government bodies, including power to impose taxes for local purposes, to prepare their budgets and maintain funds.
The upazila parishad ordinance put local wings or departments of 12 ministries under the jurisdiction of upazila parishads.
The ministries are local government, home, agriculture, health and family affairs, education, primary and mass education, fisheries and livestock, social welfare, rural development and cooperatives, youth and sports, women and children affairs, and food and disaster management.
Almost like parliament the upazila parishads also have a committee system for discharging functions properly.
Each upazila parishad will have to form at least nine standing committees on various subjects, including law and order, education, health, agriculture, communications, sports and culture, and finance and accounts, to ensure transparency and accountability of its functions.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
