Devolution of Power: Govt to launch drive for seeking consensus next week: NRB
Asim Farooqi Business Recorder Dated: Tuesday 18 April 2000
Islamabad: With the launching of a formal report on the devolution of power plan of the military regime, the government plans start a country wide campaign next week aimed at creating general consensus on the local government system as outlined by the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB).
This was stated by NRB member Mohammad Ali Khan in an interview with the Business Recorder on Monday.
He said NRB detailed report on the devolution plan is ready to be made public. “Its copies are being made in thousands which will be distributed all over the country for suggestions and comments,” said Mohammad Ali Khan.
He said intellectuals, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), researchers and scholars would be particularly welcome to register their opinion on the brief and precise document being made public next week.
He said with the publicizing of the basic paper on the devolution plan the government would launch a nationwide awareness campaign through the media, seminar and television and radio
broadcasts.
He said most of these conferences and seminars have been arranged in the areas easily accessible to the rural population of the country. “The government wants to have a national debate on the proposed plan at every level and forum,” the NRB member said.
NRB chairman Lt. Gen Tanveer Naqvi (Retd) would be available on the internet conference organized by the Bureau every fortnight starting with the ignition of the awareness campaign to respond to the general public on every aspect of the devolution plan.
Mohammad Ali Khan said that the report has been finalized as far as the NRB was concerned. However, it is open for amendments on the basis to response from the general
public.
Rejecting apprehensions expressed by some political leaders on various aspects of the devolution plan, the NRB member said Citizens Community boards would be established and empowered to create checks and balances on the elected governments of the districts. “Army is not involved at any level in the districts set up,” he added
He also dispelled the impression that the devolution plan was largely influenced by the World Bank studies on the same lines. “Let me make it very clear this is not an imported plan. In fact no foreign plan can suit complexity of our domestic problems,” he said.
The NRB Member said that the local and district governments would be free of politics so it was pointless for the genuine political elements to feel threatened by the establishment of local governments.
Elaborating financial powers supposedly given to the elected people at the district level, Mohammad Ali Khan said every district assembly would be mandated to levy community-based taxes. “But the governments would have to advertise the nature, scope and other details of the proposed taxes much before taking up it for approval at the district assembly,” he maintained. People being taxed would have to be taken into confidence about the tax before time as the present government seriously wanted to do away with the “overnight tax” culture.
He said the NRB was working on the reforms agenda side by side with the introduction of district governments. “We are working on the ways and means to bring about reforms in bureaucracy, administration, judiciary and economy at the district level and with the upgradation of our efforts. These reforms will be lifted to the provincial and ultimately to the federal level,” he said.
The NRB member said that Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution would be enforced to hold back corrupt and defaulters from entering into mainstream politics.
