Merged areas councilors trained in LG system

PESHAWAR: The ability to vote and make decisions at the local level is nothing short of a revolution for those whose voices have been marginalised from mainstream politics for decades.

Generations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (Merged Areas) have lived without understanding what it meant to have constitutional rights. People in the area had great expectations following the merger with KP, thinking that they would be able to influence how they were ruled. Every home was buzzing with anticipation as the Local Government (LG) elections were announced.

Suddenly, Hujras were busier than usual. Men would talk about civil rights and local politics late at night. They had a great deal of enthusiasm for running in the LG elections.

Two phases of elections were held, with the first successfully wrapping up in December 2021-a momentous accomplishment in the history of the region. However, the elected persons soon discovered themselves in a mess.

“When I learned that I had won and was now the chairman of my village council, I was overjoyed (VC). But as individuals who had trusted me with their votes began to ask me what I was going to do to address their problems, my happiness quickly gave way to tension,” said Rahmatullah, a tehsil council member from Nawagai, Bajaur district.

“Under this new structure, I had no idea how to go about getting things done. I turned to my other councillors for assistance, but they were equally perplexed and under the same level of public pressure.”

This feeling of hopelessness was not unfounded. Expectations were high after the election a few months prior, but the local councillors were unable to get together for a meeting.

The promise of local government was evaporating into pessimism since the LG system is entirely new to merged areas and because many councilors were confused about the procedure, budgets, and mandate-a problem made much more difficult by the high prevalence of illiteracy among them.

All these apprehensions came to light at trainings, organized by the KP Local Governance School (LGS), the UNDP’s Merged Areas Governance Project (MAGP), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on the concept of devolution of power, the responsibilities of elected councillors and their scope of authority, the procedure to convene a council meeting, and budgeting. As many as 262 members of the tehsil council, including 49 women, attended the trainings in Peshawar.

Female LG representatives expressed this opinion the loudest. “Prior to attending this seminar, I had no idea what a council member did. I was surprised when I found out my vote counted equal to a man’s,” said Shabana Bibi, a tehsil council member from district Mohmand.

“The male family members had informed us of the LG elections. In fact, they were the ones who submitted our documents since most women in merged districts can’t read or write,” said Shabana, an LG representative having done a master’s in Islamiat.

“Effective and successful councillors are made, not born,” stated MAGP Programme Manager Raluca Eddon, who spoke on behalf of the UNDP Pakistan.

Eddon urged the councillors not to lose heart despite the difficult road ahead because they are the first elected LG representatives for the area. “Every step of the way, we are here to accompany you as you go through this learning process.”