Govt all set to dissolve LGs: Punjab PA passes LG Bill 2019 amid opposition protest

LAHORE: All arrangements have been finalised to dissolve the incumbent local governments system in the province, as the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed the Punjab Local Governments 2019 Bill with a majority vote amid protest from the opposition parties. Another bill, the Punjab Villages Panchayat and Neighbourhood Councils Bill 2019, was also passed.

The opposition parties termed the bill a ‘robbery’ of the mandate of the people of Punjab and a ‘bad legislation’ and also announced challenging it in the court. However, Punjab Law Minister Mohammed Basharat Raja and other government members termed it a ‘true representation’ of citizens.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar chaired a meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary party to take it into confidence over the current piece of legislation. During the PA session, which was chaired by Speaker Punjab Assembly Ch Pervaiz Elahi, the opposition members tore the copies of agenda and the House plunged into complete disorder at the time when LG Bill 2019 was moved by Law Minister Mohammed Basharat Raja.

The opposition later staged a walkout and gathered on the PA stairs to raise voice against the fresh legislation on thelocal governments.

Malik Mohammed Ahmed of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), while participating in the debate before the LG Bill 2019 was moved, said the opposition would not propose any amendment to it as it had not accepted it at all. He said Article 140 says about establishing the local governments, and not dissolving it.

He also stated that the opposition was not provided with a copy of the report concerning LG bill and it was provided at a time when the opposition members had gone on Friday. He said he also tried to bring the matter into the notice of the PA speaker, but he was not available and this was the reason that the opposition could not come up with its recommendations regarding LG bill and urged the government not to pass it in haste.

The speaker remarked that time for proposing amendments to the bill had lapsed and the legislators could only be allowed to speak over the ongoing legislation.

Law Minister Raja Basharat said the opposition itself had admitted that its amendments had been time barred. He said since the government had tabled the bill, the opposition had been busy in raising hue and cry whereas the assembly record showed that the government, not on a single occasion, deviated from the rules. He said everything in this legislation process had been in accordance with the rules. He said the opposition’s allegation that its members were not allowed to speak in the standing committee was wrong as the committee deliberated over the bill for three days.

Raja said that duration of LG tenure had been reduced from five years to four years, while taking the opposition into confidence, whereas the education bar for mayor, chairperson was abolished in consultation with the opposition. All these things were not part of the proposed bill and these changes were made after deliberations with the opposition members.

He said after inclusion of proposed amendment from the opposition, the government set the ratio on equal basis regarding profession, technical council members. Similarly, he said the number of members of municipal corporation, tehsil, local governments commissions had been increased on the recommendations of the opposition.

The law minister said it was a matter of concern for the opposition leader who was leading 173 members of the house but his side was not able to come up with further proposals about amends to the bill.

He said the opposition had failed to come up with its recommendations in the stipulated period of time, adding that the government did not want to seek dictation from any individual as rules were applicable to everyone.

Opposition MPA Samiullah Khan and Speaker PA also had heated argument when the latter was labelled as ‘SHO’ by the PML-N MPA. The speaker Samiullah Khan to abide by the rules and threatened him to suspend his membership.

Malik Ahmed stated that it was a ‘bad legislation’ being done by the government. Raja Basharat, while responding to these remarks, stated that that was not a bad legislation but a move to abolish ‘bad legislation’, done by the previous government. He said in the entire city of Lahore, banners had been put on display by the people welcoming the legislation by the government who were given no powers by the previous rulers. He said the same opposition, while in power, abolished 2000 LG laws in 2013, adding that challenging the powers of the house was tantamount to damaging the parliamentary system.

Raja Basharat, while criticising the PML-N leadership, said that it was not its mindset to encourage and empower the LGs. He said that in the PML-N era, the LG law was passed in 2013 whereas polls were held two years later, in 2015 and interestingly, the oath of the elected members was administered even with a delay of two more years, in 2017.

He said this indicated the approach of PML-N towards the LGs, but the PTI government would empower the local government institution and devolve powers to masses.

Later, the LG Bill 2019 was moved and passed by the house amid uproar and protest from the opposition, which staged walkout. Afterwards, in the absence of the opposition, the Punjab Village Panchayat and Neighbourhood Council Bill 2019 was also passed.

Interestingly, throughout the legislation process, Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar was not seen in the House despite being in the PA building. He remained confined to his chambers.