Good Governance & Self Governance
They Should Go Together

By Mukti Rijal

IT is said that self-governance is no substitute to good governance. It means that the local self-governance and good governance are mutually coexistent and supportive of each other.

No Substitute

One can not be the substitute or the replacement of the other. The local governing units—VDCs, municipalities and DDCs cry for an enhanced power and resources. But there is no guarantee for the wise and proper use of the power and resources vested in them. In fact, if no surety it warranted for the proper allocation and use of resources given to local bodies, there is no rationale of decentralization and of the enhanced role given to local government units.

Generally it is assumed that decentralisation and good governance twin together. Decentralisation is an important element of good governance. A centralised polity is the cause of power abuse and resource mismanagement. It is far removed from the gaze of the people. It is not transparent, neither accountable to the people. It is antithetical to participation and good governance.

Decentralised governance is mooted to avoid and eliminate the weaknesses and pitfalls associated with centralised polity and governance. Should local self-governing units themselves fail the test of good governance, it defeats the purpose of decentralisation.

In Nepal there are allegedly some cases that can be attributed to bad governance at the local government level. But they seem not very serious. Some of them do get mentioned in the mass media while a few are also stated in the Auditor general’s report. The cases have cropped up especially after the government decided to provide grant amounting to five hundred thousand to village development committees. Moreover, municipalities are also singled out for the alleged misappropriation of the resources.

The case of the Birgunj submetro-politan corporation has received wider coverage in the media. Though it is alleged that the political conflict in the municipality has been given new twist and the charge of resource misappro-priation doctored as an issue of political vindictiveness, there should be some cause for action. The decision taken by the Ministry of Local Development to freeze the account of the municipality should have based on some justified reasons.

In fact there exists to empirically validated report to draw inferences that resources transferred to local bodies in the form of grants have been misutilised or embezzled. But there are problems in the resource utilising capacity of local bodies especially the VDCs.

The problems can be ascribed especially to the lack of knowledge and skills in project needs assessment, project formulation and inadequate technical personnel in checking the technical aspects of the projects. Moreover, local needs and demands are enormous while supply is limited.

Local bodies are compelled to scattershot the resources without paying particular attention to critical minimum resource needs of the projects. Sometimes resources are divided equally among the wards or consultants to satisfy the demands and impart a sense of fair deal to those competing for the resources available in local bodies. Not only VDCs, municipalities but also DDCs are subject to pressures of demands for resources from their respective constituents.

At the DDC Ilaka members are key intermediaries and they stake claims on the resources especially to see that more projects are selected and implemented in his or her areas. This often puts the DDCs in tight spot leading to compromise in the proper utilisation of the resources.

A DDC president on condition of anonymity told to this author that the large number of elected politicians at the village and district level have emerged as contenders for power and resources. It is difficult to allot responsibilities so that they are entasked and appease them.

Thus while politicians at the local level are large in number, administrative and technical personnel are inadequate to ensure that project implementation is carried out properly. This aspect needs to be taken care of as a result of which resources distribution is need based, not at behest of partisan interests.

Good governance can be ensured only through self-governance is a political axiom tested and verified through examples of different countries of the world. There is strong emphasis on efficiency and business like services. Efficiency is the top criterion of local government operations. Models for organising local government activities are often borrowed from the private business sector. Local governments in developed countries in the North discuss their programs in terms of corporate groups, competition, internal markets, purchase, sale and pricing. Accountability and transparency are the fundamental creeds of their activities.

Context

In our context decentralisation and bottom up development process is given primacy to promote greater accountability, transparency and wise use of resources. Local self-governance and good governance should go together. Otherwise, the protagonists of decentralisation prove false and the hope pinned on decentralisation for democratisation and development is shattered.

Children At The Receiving End

By PNK

WHEN the parents became bonded labours their children automatically fell into a vicious circle. Now, of course, the kamaiya system has been outlawed and so these children have been saved from a terrible trap. But, it remains a problem as far as their welfare is concerned. No concrete steps have been drawn up so that their development can go in the right direction.

It has been long since the rights of the children came into focus as a worldwide phenomenon. Rhetoric has always remained at the forefront with action lagging way behind. This is not the case with Nepal only, there are many countries where the plight of the children has become worse.

There are knowled-geable people who talk of poverty and illiteracy when they talk of the children related problems. When it comes to put forth action plans in doing the needful for making a child’s future secure and fulfilling, they fumble for words or at best stammer.

It’s a well-known fact that population in the developing countries is increasing rapidly while in some of the developed countries it is a negative one. This obviously hints at the value of education if the population is to be kept in check. And this is the need felt by many planners and plans and programmes are formulated but the implementation aspect gets lost in the maze of decisions.

Nepal’s case is no different. Children have been identified as the "future pillars of the society" yet the pace of activity to make them so is hardly evident to the degree it is necessary.

We talk of free education and what not yet the sad fact remains that not all children of school going age are in fact enrolled in schools. And this idea of free education has been here for many years but steps are yet to be taken to control the high drop out rate.

Herein, it may not be appropriate to say that education has been denied but that the children are forced to opt out of school due to their own reasons out of compulsion. It is appropriate here to say that poverty does play a role in many children not receiving education. But if these same children receive education then at least the next generation would not be stuck in the mire of deprivation.

The urban children may be lucky to some extent in this regard. But here also the number of children hanging around in alleys or roads is big. The spread of education is considered as the plank of prosperity. So, literally these children have to be dragged to receive education which is free at least in the primary stages.

The general trend nowadays is to talk of child labour. So many institutions have sprung up to look into the problem. There are some that help the children in difficult times. Is there reason for complacency then? No. The number of children helped can be counted in your fingers. This is the reality.

What is lacking is commitment to tackle the challenge. As long as high sounding speeches conti-nue to make the rounds and relevant Acts come into effect without fully being implemented, the situation is not going to change. If you love the children why employ them in your house or factory. It’s also true that one cannot ignore the realities of the deprived lot. This is what has to be tackled to solve the multi-faceted problem of the children in the country. Speeches alone do not quench the thirst, water alone can.