Zila parishads made victim of partisan politics
A study conducted by TIB has depicted a frustrating picture of zila parishads (district councils). The study has revealed that the zila parishads have turned into political organisations of the ruling Awami League as they are run by partisan administrators instead of elected representatives. According to the TIB, the parishads are being used as political offices of ruling party men and their tea and breakfast expenses are being paid for by zila parishad funds. Even official vehicles of the councils are being used for personal purposes.
The sorry state of the zila parishads shows how the AL-led government has been disregarding its electoral pledge to strengthen the local government bodies. In the run up to the 2008 parliamentary elections, the AL in its electoral manifesto had pledged to strengthen the zila parishads through decentralisation of power and transform those into centres for implementation of programmes on education, health and other development plans and for maintenance of law and order.
But after assuming office after the 2008 elections, the AL-led government had taken no step to hold elections to zila parishads. In a surprise move, the government, in December 2011, appointed its party men administrators to 61 zila parishads without any specific tenure. So, they will stay in the offices until elections are held or the government removes them.
Why were the zila parishads turned into political organisations of AL? A zila parishad administrator explained some of the reasons behind this. He said they did not have any control and authority over the district administration led by a deputy commissioner in each district. Other officials in the district administration also do not care about the administrators, and they refrain from attending meetings convened by the administrators to review the development activities in the district. The appointment of the administrators, he said, could not bring any dynamism in the functions of the parishads. Amid such a situation, in his view, they pass time by holding meetings with the party men, which is defrayed by the public exchequer. Every month each of the 61 administrators gets Tk.27.500 as remuneration, Tk. 300 entertainment allowance and 400 liter fuel per month. The administrators use a vehicle of the zila parishads.
The administrator however thinks there is no alternative to holding elections to the zila parishads to make them functional. He believes the situation will dramatically improve once the full parishad is formed through elections. But will the elections be held to meet the constitutional requirement? The present state of zila parishads exposes the government's lack of sincerity to uphold the constitution to ensure people's participation in the district level administration through their elected representatives.
Article 152 (1) of the constitution declares every district as an administrative unit. Other administrative units like upazilas and unions have too been so declared by separate statutory laws. According to the law, districts enjoy a high status, undoubtedly. But this could not yield any benefit for the districts so far. Elections have never been held to form zila parishads to run the district administration since districts were declared administrative units in the constitution in 1972, due to lack of political will of the successive governments.
In 1975, the government led by Bangabandhu had replaced the traditional local government system with party machinery. District councils with representatives from Baksal and its front organisations were constituted, with party men at their helm as governors.
After the violent political change on August 15, 1975, Gen Ziaur Rahman promulgated a local government ordinance in 1976 which provided for a zila parishad in each district, to be comprised of elected representatives. But no elections were held. The DC continued to act as ex-officio chairman of the parishad. Under another military ruler, HM Ershad, things changed. His government enacted a zila parishad law in 1988 with provisions for MPs to serve as chairmen of the parishads as a way of strengthening the base of his Jatiya Party at the district level.
After the fall of Ershad in 1990, the then BNP-led government removed the chairmen of the zila parishads as they were MPs from Jatiya Party, and appointed DCs temporarily as ex-officio chairmen of the parishads. The DCs continued to function as ex-officio chairmen until the Zila Parishad Act was passed in 2000 by the AL-led government with provisions for holding polls to the parishads.
Again it was the AL-led government that in December 2011 has appointed its party men as administrators to run the zila parishads in an effort to consolidate the party base at district level. Through this move, the AL-led government has taken a giant leap backward, replicating the same practice of using the zila parishads for narrow political purpose.
The possibility of a strong zila parishads remains a distant cry as the AL-led government continues to remain indifferent to its commitment made before the January 5 parliamentary polls to strengthen the zila parishads.
The writer is Senior Reporter, The Daily Star.
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