I’m not sure why our politicians are so blind to the value of the local government system. Simply said, elite politicians from the privileged class do not want members of the middle class, who are capable of challenging them, in their ranks. This is the primary reason for hereditary politicians’ hesitance to introduce true democracy within their own parties. It makes sense why they would never want to give up their position of authority. So, that they can keep reaping the rewards from the trade of politics.
This is the reason that every province tries to come up with a rationale for not holding the LG elections. After numerous attempts to delay the elections in Sindh, the administration opted to hold them when it had no other choice. While MQM’s demand for fair delimitation cannot be ignored, the People’s Party was also trying to protect its financial interests by avoiding elections.
The local government system must transfer funds to local government representatives after it is restored, which is why politicians in provincial offices view the LG system as a rival. Because our political system has evolved into a business, and a business is useless if there is no revenue. Provincial administrations are required by Article 140 of the constitution to delegate authority to the LG level.
The purpose of this article is to provide people access to power at their doorsteps, to improve their quality of life in their neighborhoods, towns, and regions, and to address their problems locally. Sewerage, streetlights, and crime won’t be issues if the distribution of powers and resources complies with the spirit of the constitution.
The LG system in Karachi is a goldmine with a billion-dollar budget. The goldmine was pillaged for many years, and now Karachi residents of all races and socioeconomic classes are suffering the worst effects of corruption.
I believe that many of Karachi’s issues can be resolved if the winner of today’s elections is able to take some of the actions listed below.
- Professional panhandlers ought to be imprisoned. To solve this issue, the local and provincial governments must work together. In order to restore and manage job training facilities for panhandlers, LG offices can play a significant role.
- The metropolitan authorities are the system that makes up the third pillar of the government. The police are under the supervision of the local government in the majority of countries, which makes it simpler to regulate issues like drug trafficking and street crime.
- Providing clean water and sewerage system.
- Maintenance of sanitation system.
- End the encroachment to ease the flow of traffic.
I truly hope that whoever wins today’s local government elections will do their best to improve Karachiites’ lives, which will benefit them also in the upcoming general elections.
After the merger of different factions of MQM, if the demand for delimitation had been accepted, the chances of victory of Muttahida would have been clear, but any party that succeeds in taking over the administration of Karachi should go beyond mere slogans and take practical steps for the people.
MQM’s boycott of the election will not see confusion in the polling stations, which will surely reduce the importance and effectiveness of this election and MQM can get a justification to base this election in Karachi. The Jalsa should resume the processions and once again the same situation will arise in the streets and alleys of Karachi due to which the people will have to face hardships.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the head of the People’s Party, has already predicted that his group will win the Karachi Local Government elections. If this occurs, nothing will change because PPP currently has complete provincial dominance.
By making modest investments in the Union Committees of local governments, economic activity can be quickly boosted. So, once again, the city of lights starts moving in the right direction. If Karachi’s resources are used correctly, the country can generate enough revenue to avoid relying on foreign loans.
Translated by M.M. Editorial Team
