Editorial
Dissociating MPs from upazila parishad
The proposed law should be rethought
A number of upazila parishad chairmen have voiced their resentment against the proposed Upazila Parishad Act, 2009, which seeks to give the local MPs an advisory role with a binding nature. A self-participatory status for the local government system, as envisioned in the country's Constitution, is a prized objective that must be fulfilled if we are to strengthen the foundations of democracy.
The seemingly distraught upazila chairmen, faced with the prospect of losing their functional autonomy, have even spoken of launching a movement to get the proposed act scrapped.
The upazila parishad is an important tier of the local government system and its smooth functioning without interference from the lawmakers as well as officers would surely help achieve the much-cherished goal of decentralisation of powers and devolution of authority. But if the upazila chairman has to consult the local MP, a provision incorporated in the proposed act, it might actually mean that the chairman will assume a subservient role, with his powers to make decisions independently curtailed to a great extent.
The people at the helm need to ask themselves the question as to what precisely they want to achieve through the local government bodies and whether such a control or supervision mechanism, as envisaged in the proposed act, will strengthen the upazila parishad. If the whole idea behind formation of local government bodies is to ensure participation of the local people, then independence of such bodies has to be guaranteed. The local people are expected to identify and resolve their problems with their own resources. And no intervention from any quarter is desirable.
Regrettably, the scheme of giving the MPs a role in the upazila parishad smacks of political expediency to retain control over the local government bodies. This is bound to be counter-productive, as it will completely negate the very concept of local self-government. It is like moving backwards at a time when moving forward with the decentralisation plan should be the prime objective.
The government has to place the issue in the right perspective and refrain from passing a law that will debilitate the local government system while at the same time distracting MPs' attention from legislating and a whole range of oversight functions they are required to carry out as members of parliamentary standing committees.
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