Dear Editor,
The vast majority of the population want an early election. At present they are looking on from the outside, since no local government elections were held for the past 17 years.
The existing Constitution says that local government elections must be held every three years for councillors, mayors, deputy mayors, chairmen and vice-chairmen for the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), and every year there must be election for mayors, deputy, chairmen and vice-chairmen among the councillors.
We feel, however, that no local government body is likely to be viable without the provision for the establishment of an early election. This national body must consist of persons elected by members of local democratic organs who are themselves to be elected by voters in their areas.
Thus, in a very real way, the councillors will be the elected representatives of the people themselves.
The councillors will therefore consist of people taking an interest in local government matters on a basis which definitively relates to their selection to the people’s will.
The councillors will have an electoral mandate from the people themselves to discuss and to handle local governmental matters from a national perspective.
And it was therefore none of the business of the government to call an early local government election so as to give every taxpayers an equal starting chance to elect their representatives, but as I understand it, the position taken by the Local Government Ministry is to rubber stamp the people’s wishes.
To resolve this issue, it is necessary to hold an early election. The people must be able to see themselves as being not merely limited to casting a vote on elections day.
They must be able to see themselves as a continuing part of the day-to-day processes of their townships and villages.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan