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COVER STORY |
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COVER STORY |
LOCAL BODIES With the expiry of the
tenure of elected representatives of local bodies a year ago, the democratic exercise
practiced at the grassroots has been held up, thereby, obstructing the local development
activities and process of social mobilization. In the history of strengthening the grass
root level democracy, the clashes of internal and external interest often thwart the
process of institutionalization and leadership making. Be it under the leadership of
Panchayat system or democratic set up, the local bodies continue to struggle for survival.
Grass root level organizations were more institutionalized and stable than central level
institutions when they were under the elected leadership. However, in the absence of
election of new representatives, the local bodies are now in similar state as their
central counterparts. Local bodies are popular institutions and they have contributed
immensely in the social mobilization and development activities. If it is so, why this
successful experiment is not being allowed to function properly? By KESHAB POUDEL When Naresh Kumar Chapagain, chief of
Kavrepalanchwok District Development Committee switched on a light of projector to display
progress report at the meeting hall of District Development Committee at Dhulikhel last
week, it reflected the changes at the local level that have come about in the last one
decade. The sophistication in his presentation and the time he took to explain the
planning and programs showed how capable the local bodies have become at far away
districts. From district planning to networking, human
resources and social mobilization, the two-hour presentation covered all the important
aspects that had evolved in the last five decades. It focused on the changes that occurred
after the implementation of the Participatory District Development Program (PDDP). Since
there is a remote possibility to hold the elections now, it seems that district
development officers will have to take the leadership role in planning, implementing and
execution of development programs in the grass root level, activating the existing
institutions.
Kavrepalanchwok is not alone in
boasting such progress. Many other DDCs have similar kinds of institutions and development
planning, completed in the last one decade. Despite political instability at the center,
the DDCs and VDCs provided stability and strong leadership much needed for the development
of local areas. Experiences have shown that the effective
program is implemented only through the participation of local people. In the last one
decade, many successful programs were put into action where DDCs and VDCs enjoyed
dedicated and strong leadership. In terms of expenditure, the DDCs spend
more than half of the development budgets, allowing local population to select, plan and
execute the development programs they desire. From school buildings to roads and bridges
and health posts, local populations have constructed them on their own. Unfortunately, despite their importance,
the government seems to be in no mood to revive the local bodies. According to a source
close to the prime minister's office, the government is considering to extend its
one-year-old decision of leaving the local bodies under the supervision of the civil
servants by another year. History of Local Bodies The institutionalization of local bodies
has a long history. Many donors have put valuable resources and expertise to build and
develop local bodies so as to deliver effective service to the local population. From
initial days of process of institutionalization, the local bodies have passed through
various phases of ups and downs. From the conflicting interest of internal and external
powers, the local bodies had seen many painful days. But, it has survived many a number of
sabotages and clashes of interests. With an initiation of the United States,
the evolution of modern and functional local bodies embarked on in Nepal. "From the
beginning, the Point IV team believed that if assistance programs were to be successful, a
structure had to be developed to extend program benefits to Nepal's many villages,"
states Half-a-Century of Development, The History of U.S Assistance to Nepal 1951-2001,
published by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). "In the
early 1950s, there was minimal government organization at the local level, and no dialogue
between villagers and the national government. Paul Rose, the director of U.S Operation
Mission (USOM), and chief Agriculturist Harold Dusenberry proposed the concept of local
bodes in 1950s. According to the USOM, this was to be an organization known as the Village
Development Service, established to contact village people, to find out their needs, and
then to get assistance from various departments which would channel programs through this
service," it further states. Today's village development committee,
according to experts, is not merely a traditional and informal organization but it is an
institution established under a legal and constitutional provisions. Constituted under the
Local Self-Governance Act, 2055 (1999), various constitutional provisions and other
existing acts and regulations guide its functions. The Supreme Court also interprets the
laws relating to the local bodies.
The process of legal evolution is
very long. Recommendations of the representatives of local bodies are required in
acquiring citizenship, birth, migration, marriage certificates and so on related to
individuals. The article 46 (C) of the Constitution of
Kingdom of Nepal 1990 has provision where representatives of local body choose members of
National Assembly. The constitution says fifteen members, three each of Development
Regions, to be elected in accordance with law on the basis of the system of single
transferable vote by an electoral college consisting of the Chief and deputy chief of the
villages and town level local authorities and the chief, deputy chief and the members of
the district level local authorities. Since at present the local bodies do not
have elected representatives, it is facing obscurity in implementing the programs.
"Because of lack of elected representatives, the local bodies are unable to
effectively accomplish development activities in the rural areas," said Krishna Man
Pradhan, president of Rural Development Foundation, a non-governmental organization
working to protect the rights of the local bodies. "Sooner the elections are held,
better the local bodies will function." Achievements of DDCs and VDCs Along with the District Development
Committees (DDCs), the Village Development Committees (VDCs) have also achieved remarkable
success in the areas of social mobilization. Supported under the PDDP, local residents of
Kushadevi Village Development Committee of Kavre district have shown how transformation
can be effected in their localities through social mobilization. "During my two tenures as a chairman
of Kushadevi Village Development Committee, we had constructed four concrete two lane
bridges, 39 kilometers long road, four primary schools and one high school building,
health posts and number of community buildings," said Bhim Neupane, former chairman
of Kushadevi VDC. "The pace and spirit of the development has decelerated following
the expiry of tenure of local bodies." With the expiry of the terms of elected
representatives a year ago, chief executive officers of the DDCs have to share additional
burden including formulation of planning, execution and implementation. Likewise,
secretaries at the village development committees are responsible to impart the duties,
which were earlier carried out by elected chairmen. Many see it is impossible for civil
servants to carry out effective development-oriented activities. "Central leaders have little idea
regarding the importance of the grass root level organizations like VDCs, municipalities
and DDCs. Had the local bodies been given due considerations, the country would not have
to face severe situation in the villages like now," said Daman Dhoj Chand, former
minister from Bardiya who had worked for ten years as the president of Bardiya DDC and
before that for another ten years as the chief of local Panchayat. "Based on the
local people, the local bodies can easily mobilize the people at the grass root
level," he said. Institutionalization of DDCs and
VDCs Responsible to implement almost all
district level development activities, the DDCs play catalytic role to coordinate and
implement planning process in the districts. The Local Self-Governance Act 2055 (1999)
authorizes VDCs for formulation of plans of and process of implementation, preparation of
resource maps, feasibility study and selection of the projects and coordination among
village development committee and governmental and non-governmental agencies. The DDCs,
too, have similar authority at the district level. With the pressure from international donor
agencies, civil society and elected leaders of local bodies, the government had tabled the
Local Self-Governance Act in 1998 giving sweeping power to the elected authorities in the
matters related to development and planning. If local bodies are such important and
powerful entities, why did the mainstream democratic parties and government never consider
holding its elections? The answer is simple and clear. Political leaders always perceive
elected representatives of local bodies are their rivals. External powers, which have
their own interests, too, feel the threat because the local bodies mobilize people at
grass root level. However, the existing local bodies had enjoyed strong backing from the
western countries including the United States since they want to see the democratic
exercise at all level. "Weakness of western power is that
they cannot influence the leadership at the policy-making level where national political
leaders have a cozy interest with a country that has strong interest in Nepal," said
a political analyst. Capabilities of Local Bodies After injecting billions of rupees and
experimenting with several rounds of elections, the local bodies have developed
institutional frame works and program management systems. There are strong pools of civil
servants working under the ministry of Local Development and political workers at the
grass root level. Chapagain's presentation demonstrates the
capability of local level institutions built over the last five decades and software
available at the local level. From drinking water to road and other micro-credit projects,
the chief executive had many things to boast about. Divided into 15 units, Kavrepalanchwok
district, which has 87 village development committees with a population of 385,281, has
introduced many new programs including the computerized network as well as transparency in
the accounting and program management. "Because of the lack of the elected
representatives, we are facing the problems in the process of prioritizations. But the DDC
has adequate manpower and capability to build planning and implement them," said
Chapagain. "We are now on the planning phase and our programs for the forthcoming
fiscal year will be announced next month." Despite his enthusiasm and institutional
capabilities and legal authority, what he lacks is a backing of the elected
representatives to implement the programs successfully at the targeted population. Since
almost all 75 districts have well-built institutions and physical infrastructures with
technical and administrative back up, district institutions will remain immobilized till
the elections take place. "Since the officials are accelerating
the development works, the question is who will take the ownership of development
programs? Will VDC secretaries be responsible for failures?" Pradhan asked. Evolution of local bodies The sophistication seen in the Chapagain's
presentation was not the outcome of a week or a month's efforts but a cumulative result of
five decade long continuous support and contribution of the donor communities, who had
backed the institutionalization efforts of local bodies. Whether it is through a
Participatory District Development Program (PDDP), which is supported by United Nations
Development Program (UNDP), or other local governance programs supported by various donor
countries including DANIDA, DFID, NORAD, SDC, GTZ, SNV and other international
organizations, all have focused their attention in strengthening the institutional
capability of local bodies. Since the involvement of the USOM in early
1950s, many donor countries have injected billions of rupees to strengthen the local
bodies and make it more effective and credible. This has resulted in the growth of strong
institutions. Although more than 1800 VDC buildings were
destroyed in the last seven years, people have not forgotten the importance of the VDCs.
In the People's Movement of 1990, the parties directed their workers to go against the
local Panchayat and changed the name of all local bodies, but people's attachment to the
grass root institution remained. "Decentralization and local government
system have always been the areas of keen interest for the Kings and rulers of Nepal since
the very dawn of history. The Kirat Kings belonging to the first Nepalese dynasty had laid
down the foundation of LGIs (local government institutions)," said Tulsi Narayan
Shrestha, a decentralization expert. To make more representation in the village
and districts, the act divides the VDCs in nine wards and DDCs in 15 units. Each VDC is
composed of 47 elected representatives including chairman and vice chairman. DDC consists
of area members including president and vice president elected through indirect elections. Whether it was called Panchayat or VDC,
people have strong attachment to the local bodies, which is their own government where
they can discuss and decide their fate. Following intensification of Maoist insurgency,
many police posts were removed from far away villages - the VDCS, then, were the only
remaining entities of the state. King Mahendra's Contribution Although King Mahendra dismissed elected
government and suspended the constitution in 1961 AD, he also played equally important
role in formation of popularly elected local bodies. King Mahendra introduced Panchayat
system at the grass root level to mobilize the people. Introduced by late King Mahendra, who is
criticized as an authoritarian ruler, the local bodies have helped to transform power
structure giving room for local people to take their collective decision. Before the
establishment of the VDCs, it was the sole duty of landlords. Along with establishing the local bodies,
the Constitution of Nepal promulgated in 1962 also gave the constitutional guarantee to
the local bodies. The Part 8 of the Constitution of Nepal 1962 mentions the modalities and
functions of Village Assembly, Town Assembly, Village Panchayat, Town Panchayat and
District Panchayat. In terms of constitutional guarantee, the
Constitution of Nepal 1962 was more progressive and protective than the present
constitution formulated by the democrats of 1990.The existing forms of local bodies are
based on a system introduced by the Panchayat and legal institutional frame works, too,
originated at that time. "The existing structure of local
bodies is compilation of custom, religion, habit and historical compulsions. Since the
arms of the central government never reaches in the periphery except to collect the
revenue, local bodies are envisaged to mobilize the local population," said a senior
advocate. "As the unitary form of government always tends to be authoritarian, the
local bodes are very important to decentralize the power." Realizing the need of local bodies in
forming the leadership, King Mahendra encouraged local participation. After the
restoration of democracy in 1990, many leaders who were groomed in Panchayati local set up
were elected to the parliament. The elected leaders of grass root level are
always powerful influence to contain the insurgency. When the Maoists launched their
insurgency in 1996, they began their movement by targeting the infrastructures of local
bodies and elected representatives. As long as elected representatives were
functional, the insurgent could not escalate their activities. Many VDCs contained the
Maoists through effective development planning and by penetrating to the villages. "Local bodies will help foster the
leadership at the center. Since the periodical elections produced the leadership much
needed at the center, it is the best place where new leaders are groomed and taught the
apprentice," said an analyst. Clashes of Interest The local bodies have survived the clashes
of interests among Nepal's friendly countries. In the early phase, the US government
wanted the local bodies to make delivery system effective at the grass root level. But the
Nepalese government chose the Indian support to form the local bodies and the US left the
scene. "The goal was to establish a
nationwide system which would distribute increased services to villages, while providing a
channel of communications through which people could express their wants to the
government. A fundamental assumption was that rural Nepalis were willing and able to learn
new technology, and they would use this knowledge to develop themselves. In his
justification for the Village Development Project, Rose emphasized the "bumpy
transition from autocracy to democracy' that was making HMG an unstable partner,"
states the Half-a- Century of Development. As India had successfully launched village
development program, Nepal also sought support from India to strengthen the local bodies.
Late in the 1950s, USOM decided to phase out village development assistance over a
three-year period and turned this sector over to India. "The USOM decided to phase out village
development assistance over a three year period and turn the sector over India. USOM
expected the Indians to assume full responsibility for the sector in the coming decade.
However, Nepali dissatisfaction with India's patronizing attitudes (in 1962 it asked India
to withdraw from the village development project), combined with critical internal
political development, would draw the U.S. back to support the next rural development
program in the 1960s," writes Eugene Bramer Mihaly in his book Foreign Aid and
Politics in Nepal, A Case Study. "Nepal accepted the Indian Aid Mission
(IAM) offer because of political pressures and the fact that India was willing to provide
substantial assistance. For a couple of years joint USOM-IAM assistance was discussed,
however, India and the U.S. mainly competed for spheres of influence and selection of the
most appropriate community development model. India concentrated its efforts in Terai
districts and the key valleys of Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Palungtar hoping to increase
friendliness towards India in strategically vital areas," Mihaly further writes. The initial phase had seen the conflicting
interest between India and USOM. "USOM officials apparently resented the Indian
domination of the field resulting from its larger investment. They also felt the Indian
emphasis on "brick and mortar" instead of development of human resources was
inappropriate. In addition, Mission support for the Village Development Project dwindled
as new technical officer assigned higher priority to projects of counterpart's technical
ministries," states the book Half-a-Century of Development. Phases of Uncertainty From the very beginning, the village
development concept passed through bumpy roads surviving all kinds of internal political
upheavals. The un-elected central political leaders
always faced a threat from elected representatives of local bodies since they acquire the
basic knowledge of governance. As an elected leader, they will always be threat to the
un-elected leadership in the party organizations. Once the local leaders realize their
strength, they will even defy the order of central leaders. This will help to develop
sense of accountability at the local level. Unfortunately, this positive aspect itself has
stood in the way for its advancement. Furthermore, the elected representatives of
local bodies are also threat to elected MPS who will always perceive them as rivals in
their pocket constituencies. From political leaders to elected members of the parliament,
the local leaders have become nobody's favorite. The elections of local bodies are important
to sustain the democratic system since it provides much needed leadership at the center.
Only those who want to impose the leadership from top down will oppose it. Girija Prasad
Koirala, then prime minister, in 1993, decided to hold the local elections under the
pressure of western donor countries. Sinc1990 to 1993, the local bodies were left under
the nominated civil servants. When the Local Self Governance Act was
passed in the parliament in 1999, the CPN-UML, which controlled two thirds of local
bodies, broke all the seats in parliament opposing certain clauses. Though the act was
passed after a long and bitter struggle, the local leaders could not enjoy it for more
than two years. Whenever there is a revolution or political
upheavals in the country, local bodies have remained vulnerable. The People's Movement of
1990 was initiated by burning the buildings of local bodies. During the 45 days of the
movement, they burnt a couple of municipality buildings including the Lalitpur Nagar
Panchayat and other Village Panchayat buildings forcing the local elected leaders to leave
their villages. Maoists, too, followed similar route. They,
too, started their revolution by dismantling the local bodies. Even democratically elected
government did not consider it important when it came to extending the tenure of the
elected representatives. It was during the Sher Bahadur Deuba's government last year that
their tenure expired. "Without extensive citizen
participation, electoral democracies run the risk of becoming hostages to the manipulation
of voter performances by rich and powerful elites. Involvement in civil society and the
public sphere can also provide citizens common grounds to make demands upon the state,
thereby improving the functioning of higher-level bureaucratic and representative
institutions," says an expert. Despite its strong role in accelerating
development activities and leadership making, the local bodies have to struggle with
different institutions for its survival. In the last five decades, every political party
wanted to put the local bodies on its own hold. Since the elected local bodies mobilize
the mass and challenges any kinds of hegemony, it is regarded as a threat to other powers.
While a huge number of people are facing several difficulties because they have no local
bodies to carry out their day-to-day duties, nobody is concerned about reviving them for
the time being. PDDP The UNDP-supported
Participatory District Development Program (PDDP) has demonstrated a way to effectively
mobilize local community By KESHAB POUDEL in Dhulikhel Goma Sapkota, chairperson of Navadurga
Community Organization (CO) of Kushadevi Village Development Committee at Kavrepalanchowk
district, has witnessed many changes in the lives of her neighbors in the last seven
years. After the formation of Community Organization under PDDP's Village Development
Program (VDP), Goma and 41 other women of the village have found a forum to initiate
income-generating activities. Being a chairperson, Goma has to organize
group meetings every week. They discuss development issues of mutual concern as well as
the income-generating programs. "We have started to generate resources through
activities like goat and buffalo rearing and farming of off-season vegetables including
tomatoes," said Goma, a resident of the village just about 35 kilometers east of
Kathmandu valley. "We have already accumulated savings to the tune of Rs.150, 000 in
our community." Since the CO is a part of programs
initiated under VDP to empower rural Nepalese and support the poverty alleviation efforts,
it focuses on efforts to improve the living conditions of rural people. Goma is among one of the 243,263 rural
populations, who have benefited from the programs initiated under the Participatory
District Development Program (PDDP). The PDDP has been supporting the DDC to build
institutional capabilities for the last seven years. Likewise, its VDP has also been
successful to reduce numbers of people below the poverty line through the capacity
building and social mobilization at the villages. "As far as VDP is concerned, the
program has achieved some major successes. The impacts made by VDP on social and economic
aspects at the grassroots level have been very positive," said Dr. Yuba Raj
Khatiwada, member of National Planning Commission in his statement given to PDDP 2002 year
review. Although Goma's village was close to the
capital city and had abundant water resources for irrigation, Goma and her neighbors had
never thought that they could grow tomato and other off-season vegetables in their land,
which could fetch them many times more money than traditional farming. "We hardly imagined that our village
could supply off-season vegetables to the Kathmandu valley. This is now the reality,"
said Goma who is also encouraging her fellow villagers to engage in other
capital-intensive activities. Kushadevi Village Development Committee is
one of the areas where the program has been successfully running and where the community
mobilization has been very high. There are 3,122 female COs like Navadurga
with the total membership of 1,24,381. There are 2,713 male COs and 3,128 mixed COs
covering 346 households. According to PDDP year review, the total number of CO members is
2,43,263. With the of implementation of PDDP that
aims to strengthen the administrative and technical capability of District Development
Committees, many district development committees including Kavrepalanchwok have already
seen the changes in its institution capabilities and physical and other strengths. Initiated and financed by United Nations
Development Program in 1996, the program later extended up to Village Development
Committee through Village Development Program (VDP). After supporting the programs for
seven years in strengthening and improvement of DDC, it has now shifted its concentration
to run program at village grass roots levels. "The PDDP and VDP were successfully
implemented in the last seven years. But, we still require programs to strengthen the
capabilities of local bodies," said National Program Coordinator. From the capacity building to institutional
strengthening and now poverty alleviation, the PDDP has made a long stride. After
completing seven years, the PDDP will be folded from the coming year but the question
remains what will happen to people like Goma Sapkota who still needs certain advice and
support to sustain her previous success. "The phase of present form of PDDP will end
but this does not mean full stop to the on-going support to enhance the capacity of DDCs
and to empower the rural poor through the proven model of social mobilization," said
Sanjaya Adhikary, national program manager. At a time when the government's tenth plan
has put stress on the reduction of existing poverty level, there is a need for effective
programs like community and social mobilization to introduce changes in the lives of rural
women like Goma. |
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