FEATURES NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Association Of District Development Committees In Nepal United For Development

By Ram Chandra Pokhrel

THE founders of ‘Association of District Development Committee in Nepal’ (ADDCN) who had already experienced very hard days and unthinkable humiliating attitude of the government machinery during its founding days, might have been thrilled with great satisfaction while they found themselves at a national gathering like ‘Nepal Workshop on Fiscal Decentralisation’.

Impressive

Perhaps on one could expres the kind of feeling in words while at a function like this and sitting among such impressive gathering of nationwide delegates of the grand council of the association, guests from foreign countries (Philippines, Switzerland and India), including admirers and supporters.

Recently, the symposium was organised by the ADDCN in cooperation with SDC, DANIDA and the World Bank at the Birendra International Convention Centre in Kathmandu. More than three hundred delegates from all seventy five districts were present. Among the participants women representatives of different districts also were invited.

It was the beginning of 1994, when the second national conference of Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of all seventy five District Development Committee (DDC)- passed a resolution underlining the need of a national association in Nepal. There was no clear concept of its structure. However a modest beginning was made at Saurah, Chitawan at a meeting of only eight DDC Chairmen. It was the first move of its kind towards the direction.The next step was made at Pokhara, and finally in Surkhet where a formal shape of an ad-hoc committee took place.The committee was given full responsibility to draft the constitution and hold national convention within a given time frame. About forty districts particpated in the meeting.It was really a great movement, since the government at the center was strangely reluctant over the new concept.

In 1993 DDC Chairmen of six districts of Western Development Region were on a study visit to the Philippines. Among others they had a opportunity to have a first hand knowledge of the local authorities—the province, cities, municipalities and Barangays—and their associations. Meanwhile, the six districts of the first phase of decentralisation formally came together to form a committee of the District Management Development Fund (DMDF), after the tripartite review meeting of National Planning Commission (NPC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and DDC’s at Bhairahawa. Later, in Pokhara they elected a chairperson from among them and all six as members. A fulfledged secretariat at DDC office Rupandehi was established to manage and utilising the Rs. 2.5 million fund. The main objective was to support and to improve their capacity to institutionalising the planning process. It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a nuclues of the present day association.

Immediate after the local elections in 1992 a meeting of the chairmen of all districts from Gandaki Zone was convened in Damauli to find a common regional development strategy to push forward at the first national conference of chairman and vice chairmen (of all seventy five districts) to be held in Kathmandu,. The meeting also had discussed the line of thinking to form a system of getting together among themselves.

But the Decentralisation Support Programme- (DSP) supported by UNDP worked primarily at the district level to strengthen local level planning through the establishment of district information centers, introduction of participatory planning and enhancement of upward linkages. It did its best to bring general awarenes of decentralisation among the local authorities. So ‘decentralisation’ remained as a driving force at the center of the whole campaign in forming the asssiciatin. Here it is noteworthy that the principle of the association was fully devoted to the "Four Ds" (Democracy, Development, Decentralisation and the concept of District Government).

At the beginning it was DANIDA’s support that enhanced the morale of the campaigners. Despite the negative attitude of the government, the support extended by DANIDA did not only help in improving the concept but also offered stationary support that was very important at its initial state. But one fine morning it had to stop all its cooperation, even its humble support of using its photocopier. Obviously it was the result of misunderstanding that the whole campaign was against the policy of government.The news spread as an undercurrent and did provoke a sharp reaction among the local authorities. As time passed the situation did not prevail for long and the ups and downs in the government policy also remained only as a temporary phenomenon.

When the parliament was dissolved by the nine-month old minority government, the government in the country was virtually running as a care-taker. But even then the local authorities were functioning properly and the process of local development was smoothly moving ahead. Meanwhile, ADDCN had convened its annual national council meeting in Lalitpur. The way they were meeting and discussing the issues the media described it as "a mini-parliament".Everyone who could get a chance to observe the session of the three day council meeting were highly impressed, because it could project itself of being not less responsible to the nation than the parliament. The session of the grand council had left an undeniable impression even on the intellectuals around the capital while locals also got the opportunity to think on issues in national prospective.

Here it would very much appropriate to mention that its firsts convention that was held in 1994 was inauguated at a grand function by the ex-Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai at Biratnagar. Present on the occasion was former and presently, the current Prime Minister G.P. Koirala as the guest of honor.

Biratnagar, the hometown of the late leader B.P. Koirala also was the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the 1951 revolution that brought in the first light of democracy in Nepal. When democracy was restored in 1991 after the 30 year long hard struggle for democracy, the first convention at Biratnagar was itself a due respect to the late leader of the Nepalese democratic movement. It is also tribute to the freedom fighters like the ex-Prime Minister Manamohan Adhikari.

The convention at Biratnagar reminds us of similar other events. Since the provision of the constitution of the association reserves only five seats for nomination giving priority to those national political parties that could not get elected in the 23-member executive committee, the party in majority (Nepali Congress) offered the Vice-Chairman along with two executive members to the party in second in position (CPN-UML). All was set through consensus leaving all the issues of majority and minority into oblivion.Till today the association has been maintaining the greater understanding in each and every action for the greater unity and the progress of the institution.

Despite the ups and downs the government finally extended its recognition to ADDCN. Certainly it can be described as "a historic event". Recognition meant a new beginning of the march of "decentralisation" The association began to establish a fullfledged secretariat under the Executive Secretary General in Kathmandu.

Important Role

The most important part of the role of association in the politics of the nation is its untiring campaign for local self governance act. Its members and office bearers did play their effective roles for the new act that could ensure more power and responsibilities for local authorities. Their campaign was for the full recognition of local authorities in the constitution and more powers to the DDCs, VDCs, and municipality. And most importantly, to turn the local authorities into local government from their traditional responsibility of the user’s committee—like institution in towns and villages. In sum, its final march is for the true decentralisation without weakening the national integrity unity and the multi-party democracy.

(Ram Chandra Pokhrel is the founder Executive Member and Ex-Spokesperson of _ADDCN and Ex-DDC Chairman , Tanahu.)

Other Stories