For strong local government
Friday, 20 November 2009
EMPOWERMENT of local government (LG) bodies to promote uniform development throughout the country continues to be treated casually. For non-empowerment, the country's elected upazila councils, remain unable to serve the local people, the way they should. Empowered upazila parishad could create local economic opportunities to stop unplanned migration from the rural areas to the urban centres.
Narrow political considerations that guided the government since nineties, obstructed the growth of local government at the upazila level. It appears that successive governments during the period seems to have relegated the system, just because it was introduced by an autocratic regime. The system has not been evaluated on its merit.
Of course, there are strong groups with vested interests to oppose the revival of the upazila system. And this is something the top leaders of elected governments need to appreciate. The members of parliament (MPs) and the bureaucrats support the status quo because it allows them to control the resources allocated to local bodies. Therefore, the key leaders of the government should opt for decisive action to foil what the interest groups want to serve their narrow objectives.
If and when the government is duly empowered, the government should provide adequate funds to it for rapid local development. With the needed financial support, the local bodies should be able to achieve for Bangladesh, what local government achieved in other countries.
Md Abdul Aziz
Tejgaon
Dhaka
Narrow political considerations that guided the government since nineties, obstructed the growth of local government at the upazila level. It appears that successive governments during the period seems to have relegated the system, just because it was introduced by an autocratic regime. The system has not been evaluated on its merit.
Of course, there are strong groups with vested interests to oppose the revival of the upazila system. And this is something the top leaders of elected governments need to appreciate. The members of parliament (MPs) and the bureaucrats support the status quo because it allows them to control the resources allocated to local bodies. Therefore, the key leaders of the government should opt for decisive action to foil what the interest groups want to serve their narrow objectives.
If and when the government is duly empowered, the government should provide adequate funds to it for rapid local development. With the needed financial support, the local bodies should be able to achieve for Bangladesh, what local government achieved in other countries.
Md Abdul Aziz
Tejgaon
Dhaka