KATHMANDU, APRIL 1
With the local level elections round the corner, the political parties have started their election campaigning across the country. But the cadres of many political parties were not able to intensify the election campaigns mainly due to the fact that these parties were undecided on whether or not they should forge an alliance until very late.
As many parties have decided to forge alliance, they have started claiming their victory in the upcoming elections.
At a time when the political parties are gearing up for the local level elections, it is very important to discuss and evaluate what they achieved in the last five years at the local level in terms of ensuring service delivery and carrying out development works.
Discussion on and evaluation of the local governments help create informed citizenry, which is essential for good governance, and the good governance is a prerequisite to functional democracy. Similarly, the functional, effective, and inclusive democracy is the one we have been aspiring for over seven decades. The political struggles and movements launched so far brought us to the present federal democratic republic and it is now obvious for the citizens to seek equality, justice and better service, which the previous systems failed ensure.
Political party leaders are not tired of saying that the federalism has brought 'Singh Durbar' to people's doorsteps. But no one can for sure say that people's problems have been addressed altogether after the formation of local governments As the first five-year term of the local government is expiring soon, one has to find the answer of these questions: were the local levels able to deliver what they had promised to the people? Did the central and provincial governments extend support to make local level effective? It was reported in the media that most of the local levels spent huge chunk of budget in road construction in the initial years. The local levels were seen competing with each other for building roads. They built roads and opened tracks in a haphazard manner. Not only that, some mayors, and chairpersons earned bad names for themselves for engaging in brawls over trivial matters; some transferred school teachers and so on.
Corruption thrived. These statements were finely substantiated by the reports of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, Office of the Auditor General and other organisations like Transparency International.
It is, however, unwise to generalise that bad governance plagued all local levels.
Former secretary of the Nepal of Government Gopinath Mainali says blaming local levels that they failed in past five years is unjust. "Many local levels have fared very well and acted wonderfully despite limited resources and strength. They have built foundation for good governance.
The activities conducted by some local levels are worth-imitating by others," he observed, adding that in the face of COVID-19, the establishment of holding centres, isolation and quarantine management at local levels were exemplary. They at least made people feel the presence of government, he added.
Asked to list some local levels that performed well in terms of good governance with transparency in financial management, Mainali said Belaka Municipality of Udayapur, Bagmati Municipality of Sarlahi, Panchkhal Municipality of Kavre, Nilkanth Municipality of Dhading, Waling Municipality of Syangja, and Tilottama Municipality of Rupandehi were some of the local levels that did exceptionally well He rather blamed the central government for not making required laws for the local levels to function smoothly and effectively. "The federal government must have built foundation for employee management for the local levels on time, but it failed. Basic laws to run government at local levels were not made on time which hampered the service delivery and development works," he emphasised.
These past five years were foundational time for all three layers of the government in terms of implementing federalism in Nepal. As the political parties are gearing up for the next local level polls, they need to focus on making necessary laws to empower local levels. In the name of cooperation, undue interference by the political parties is again detrimental. The recommendation by the experts should not be ignored.
Although political parties are the crucial actors of a democratic system, the role of bureaucracy, the permanent government, is equally important to advance the system.
Adequate employees at local levels and their capacity building are essential.
Similarly, the knowledge of constitution, federalism and governance among people's representatives and general people is necessary for the success of federalism.
Many local levels have fared well and acted wonderfully despite limited resources.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 1, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
