Responsibility of public representatives: Speeches are not enough

Minister of local government Tajul Islam said something very important, and worrying, about the duties and responsibilities of local public representatives. Recently, at a workshop titled 'SDG Localisation: Findings and the Way Forward', he lamented that many of the local public representatives do not know about their responsibilities.

“Many of them lack educational qualifications. They were not given adequate training. The National Institute of Local Government (NILG) has a capacity deficit. NILG has financial and logistical shortfall.”

Naturally, the question is, what steps has the government taken in making the local public representatives efficient? Let’s forget about the predecessors. It has been four years since the local government minister took charge. What steps have they taken to make local representatives responsible at this time? The constitution mentions three responsibilities of local government, the most important of which is the formulation and implementation of plans related to public works and economic development.

It remains to see how many local representatives have the opportunity to formulate and implement that plan? Although the constitution mentions local governance, it is actually fully under the authority of the government. Most of the funding for development projects also comes from the centre. Admittedly it is almost impossible for local public representatives to play a proper role in this situation.

Elections to local government bodies were earlier non-partisan. Regardless of the tensions in national politics, local elections were always competitive. What is very painful is that competition is largely absent after starting holding elections with party affiliation. The main opposition party has not participated in elections for several years. The main contest is between the Awami League nominee and the 'rebel' candidates. It has been happening in almost every election in recent times. On the other hand winning unopposed is also very common.

The question raised by the minister about the qualifications, skills and training of local government representatives is not only applicable to them but also to many members of the national parliament.

By reading the proceedings of the session of the parliament, or listening to the debates of the parliamentarians, it seems that many of them have no idea about the parliamentary system and customs. Many MPs don't even know how to ask questions. They do not seem to be aware of the fact that the main responsibility of parliamentarians is to make laws.

Even in the budget session of the parliament, most of the MPs do not speak a single word about the budget. They spend most of their time attacking their opponents with words. The rest of the time they talks about the problems of the area. Members of parliament will talk about the problems of the area. But it is very important to discuss the pros and cons of the national budget.

If the local government is to make the people's representatives responsible, they should also be empowered to make independent decisions. At the same time, central government oversight and authority over local government agencies should also be reduced. Leaving aside developed countries, our policy makers can at least take a look at how local government bodies are run in India. Mere speeches or advice will not increase the competence of local government representatives. They should also be given opportunity to work.