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OCTOBER
2008
ISSUES:
‘City
roads should be car-free rather than signal-free’
The
city is expanding at a rapid pace and if an efficient and inexpensive
public transport system is not put in place now, it will collapse in the
next few years, said former mayor of Bogota Enrique Penalosa Londono at
a seminar. The politician-turned-international development adviser from
Colombia said that public transport should be given priority over
private cars, with local governments focusing more on open public spaces
such as parks, pedestrian streets, playgrounds, waterfronts, etc, where
everybody could go easily rather than on building new signal-free
highways and exclusive elite clubs, used by a small number of people.
He was speaking at the seminar on ‘Sustainable urban development and
mobility’ organised jointly by the City District Government Karachi,
Shehri and the Clinton Foundation. City Nazim Mustafa Kamal, who was
expected to attend the event, could not make it to the venue.
The urban development expert said that over the years, major cities in
the developed world had shifted their focus from making things easier
for car-users to improving their mass transport systems, luring
car-owners to using the improved public transport, particularly during
rush hours.
He said that in most road accidents in the developed world more
motorists died than pedestrians, whereas in developing world cities it
was vice versa and more pedestrians died than motorists.
Giving an example of the Colombian capital, Mr Londono said he had
introduced the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system with specified bus ways,
specially-built bus stations etc, which had solved the transport
problem. As it saved time and was comfortable, many car-owners also used
it. He said he also introduced taxes, including parking fees, for the
use of cars, and it not only eased traffic congestion on roads but it
was environment- friendly also. Car-free roads were introduced to
increase the pedestrian areas in city centres. Cycling was encouraged by
building special cycling paths, he said. He said the transport policy of
a city should be to use fewer cars, but in developing world cities more
highways, signal-free corridors, etc were built for the convenience of
car-owners at the cost of pedestrians. If the paucity of space demanded
construction of elevated roads, these should be used by buses than cars,
which are used by fewer people. He stressed that the BRT system was less
expensive than the subway or underground trains and buses running on
roads being flexible could serve more areas than the trains that have a
limited access. He said there should be one transport authority to
operate the buses, collect fares and to manage the infrastructure.
Tickets should be valid for all BRT buses, which could be owned by
different companies paid by the authority under a formula. In this way,
the buses – which raced with one another to pick up passengers and
stopped in the middle of the road affecting the traffic flow -- would
pick up and drop passengers at designated stops only and they would not
be bothered if the bus was full of passengers or empty, as they would be
paid by the authority.
Mr Londono said the city should have ground-plus-three to -four floor
buildings with wide footpaths, cycling tracks, bus paths, parks and
playgrounds. Speaking about various parks in European cities, he said
these had in fact been gardens of the monarchs and the elite and were
taken from them by democratic governments for the use of the public. He
also suggested that if parks and open spaces were fewer in number, the
elite clubs, receiving government subsidies but serving a select group
of people, in the centre of a city be taken over by the government and
declared open to the public. Elite groups could be given land outside
the city.
Stressing free access of the public to waterfronts, he cited that the
Paris city government put sand on a highway along the Seine to convert
it into a beach on certain days in summer so that the Parisians could
have the feeling of visiting a beach.
Pointing out that the people needed to walk as birds needed to fly, he
said that with the availability of more open spaces, parks, footpaths,
etc, people would be in contact with nature and a feeling of equality
would emerge among them, and they would feel less stressed.
Oscar Edmundo Diaz of the Institute for Transportation and Development
Policy, Malik Zaheer of the CDGK and others also spoke.
(By
Bhagwandas, Dawn-17, 17/09/2008)
Karachi
railway among 51 projects approved
The
government approved 51 projects, including revival of the Karachi
Circular Railway and construction of Cherah dam.
The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), which met here with Deputy
Chairman of Planning Commission Salman Faruqi in the chair, approved 42
new projects costing Rs237.7 billion. The cost of nine projects was
revised to Rs24.7 billion from Rs14 billion.
In its first meeting of the current fiscal year, the CDWP approved
Rs262.4 billion for the projects.
The KCR project is expected to be executed in three years at a cost of
Rs52.372 billion with a foreign component of Rs39.257 billion.
The 50 km railway project will have 21 underpasses and overhead bridges
and 23 stations in the city. The Circular Railway would carry 700,000
passengers daily through 246 trains.
Planning Commission Spokesman Asif Shaikh told newsmen that the foreign
funding component for the projects was Rs91.2 billion.
He said 32 projects of Rs238 billion related to infrastructure and 19
projects of Rs24.4 billion to social sector with foreign components of
Rs30.81 billion and Rs9.90 billion, respectively
He said that the cost of 22 projects was over Rs500 million. The
projects costing Rs255.50 billion were referred to the Executive
Committee of National Economic Council for approval. He said 46 projects
of Rs218.40 billion would be financed by the federal government, while
18 projects in Punjab, including 13 of the Multan Package costing Rs500
million, would be financed by the provincial government.
Six development projects for Sindh of Rs94.40 billion, eight for
Balochistan to be completed at a cost of Rs9.10 billion, two for the
NWFP to cost Rs600 million and six for the AJK of Rs13.10 billion were
also approved. The spokesman said an amount of Rs1.50 billion was
approved for three projects in Fata. He said the Punjab government would
provide Rs5.31 billion for Cherah dam.
The federal government will provide 70 per cent, while the AJK
government will bear 30 per cent of the Rs6.7 billion cost of two hydel
projects to be built in Azad Kashmir.
The CDWP approved Rs65 million for provision/installation of ILS
(Instrument Landing System) facility at Quetta International Airport;
Rs1.497 billion for acquisition of land for the new Gwadar International
Airport; Rs433 million for an inland container dry port near the
Shershah Railway Station in Multan; Rs1.147 billion for construction of
a bridge on Sutlej at Amanwala; Rs1.925 billion for rehabilitation of
the 61 km Larkana-Naudero-Lakhi Road; Rs1.931 billion for dualisation/rehabilitation
of the 28 km Larkana-Moenjodaro Road; and Rs8.119 billion for the
deepening and widening of Port Qasim navigation channel.
An amount of Rs5 billion was approved for establishment of 43.5 MW
Jagran hydropower station (Phase-2) in AJK; Rs1.745 billion for
establishment of 14.4 MW Jhing hydropower project in district
Muzaffarabad; and Rs116.607 billion for Diamer Basha Dam -- acquisition
of land and resettlement.
The CDWP approved Rs2.546 billion for Indus 21 water sector capacity
building and advisory services project, Rs5.523 billion for water supply
and sewerage scheme in Mirpur city and hamlets in the periphery of
Mangla Dam and Rs30 billion for improvement of infrastructure in urban
areas of Sindh.
It approved Rs3.159 billion for small projects of Higher Education
Commission, Rs1.766 billion for education; Rs8.749 billion for health
projects mostly related to HIV/Aids programme; Rs461.256 million for
environment; Rs6.215 billion for governance; Rs872.361 million for
levies’ training; Rs634.618 million for social welfare and Rs2.519
billion for mass media, culture, sports and tourism.
(Dawn-1,
19/09/2008)
KCR
revival awaiting Ecnec approval
Revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) still needs approval of the
Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) even though
the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has already approved it.
Well-placed sources in the federal government told PPI that the CDWP had
forwarded the KCR revival plan to the Ecnec.
Physical work on the project could only be started after its approval by
the Ecnec, they said, adding that the item was yet to be placed on the
Ecnec agenda.
According to the sources, there are nine stakeholders of the KCR who are
supposed to supervise its revival. Among them, the Sindh chief secretary
and the transport secretary represent the Sindh government; the Karachi
nazim and his one nominee represent the City District Government Karachi
(CDGK), four officials represent the Pakistan Railways and one nominee
represents the private sector.
“Pakistan Railways will be owner of the KCR with 60 per cent shares
while the Sindh government has 25 per cent shares and the CDGK is a 15
per cent shareholder,” the sources said.
“The question that whether it will be the Sindh government or the CDGK
which will bear the operative loss if incurred by the KCR may not arise
at all as the control of KCR, after its revival, will be handed over to
an internationally reputed operator (a firm that already operates
railway systems in different countries,” the sources said, adding that
the firm will be bear the responsibility of KCR operation and
maintenance.
Referring to the proposed plan for the revival of the project, the
sources said that the KCR would charge a fare of 85 paisa per kilometre.
A total of 256 train services will be available and some 22 up and down
trains will be operated after every hour. According to a survey
conducted by Japanese engineers, more than 700,000 commuters will
benefit from these services. A UK-based railway consultant firm has
assessed the survey and endorsed it.
Allaying the apprehension of heavy losses to be incurred by the KCR
again, the sources pointed out that the operating firms had offered to
undertake the whole operation on its own.
“The firm would generate revenues through ticket collection,
advertising (i.e. billboards, hoardings, etc at platforms), auction of
stalls at all KCR stations and several other means.” The private
sector, they said, would be offered contracts for the construction of
buildings comprising offices, shops and residential apartments using KCR
land along the platforms, as envisaged in the plan. This would be an
added source of revenue generation.
Such contracts are to be awarded on a “build, operate and transfer (BOT)”
basis.
KCR plan
Eight civic centres will be constructed on KCR land near stations in
eight different towns. The rent charged from the tenants would go the
KCR operator. The sources stated that the KCR would construct three
flyovers and 19 underpasses along loop.
The KCR revival plan was chalked out basically to reduce the mounting
pressure of vehicular traffic on city roads and avoid unmanageable
traffic jams feared to occur on most of the city roads in future.
Such a situation is bound to affect directly the economy of the city and
the province and indirectly the national economy, experts in the
relevant sectors observed while commenting on the merits of the KCR
revival.
(Dawn-18,
23/09/2008)
Ancient
buses, dream trains
AS
far back in time as a senior citizen can recall, say 40 years ago, the
federal and provincial governments and the municipality of Karachi (also
a government now) have been talking of a mass transport system for the
city. At various stages projects have been contemplated or sanctioned
for rapid transit corridors, for elevated roads and rails and for CNG
buses.None of these promises or projects materialised nor will they do
so as far as surviving senior citizens can see. What actually has been
happening may be quickly recounted here for the sake of nostalgia. The
trams which were Karachi’s pride stopped running 35 years ago and
their track from Keamari to Soldier Bazaar to Cantt Station lies buried
under layers of asphalt; the circular railway (it was not even
semi-circular) closed down 20 years ago, its remnants lie in ruin; the
bus fleet has been aging and dwindling. Today, the newest bus on the
road is 20 years old and the oldest 60 years with the exception of the
few hundred buses that came under the Nawaz Sharif government’s loan
and subsidy scheme in the 1990s. Huge sums that have gone into the
construction of the city’s flyovers and underpasses are meant to
benefit only the motorists. Public buses are not permitted to use them
— not even the horrendously expensive and delayed Lyari freeway.
The only conclusion that can be drawn from what was promised and what
actually happened is that successive governments were either being
irresponsible or were knowingly making fun of the citizens or fooling
them. Whatever it was the habit hasn’t died. The three urban transport
schemes recently announced, or sanctioned, are likely to meet a fate no
different from that of the grand plans of the past.
The first, and most authentic, of the three is the revival of Karachi’s
circular railway — with the circle completed and spurs added —
costing $872m over three years. This capital cost which is based on the
prices of 2006 will surely double given the present rate of inflation
and almost certainly delay the completion of the project. Resultantly,
the stipulated single trip fair of Rs50 will also double.
Though the Japanese government is said to have agreed to meet the
foreign exchange component — $654m — and the federal government will
provide the local cost of $218m in rupees, the final approval,
crucially, hinges on a commitment by the Sindh and city governments that
neither of the two will demand any subsidy from the federal government
for operating losses.
Unmindful of this condition, a row has already erupted between the
province and the city over who would head the board — the transport
minister or the nazim — which is to oversee the operations by a
private company. Seemingly, the row is not about who can do a better job
but the patronage it involves. It invokes a fear similar to that among
country peasants for whom the robbers arrived on the scene before their
village came up.
Leaving the capital cost, operational subsidy and management issues
aside, the project will benefit only a small segment of the population
if buses do not connect each railway station with localities in the
vicinity. Even if that can be organised, which is unlikely, the
commuters would rather take a bus all the way from home to work than
wait in transit and pay the amount twice over. That was the chief reason
for the huge loss and ultimate closure of the semi-circular railway.
The circular railway project, both for reasons of huge cost and limited
benefit, is wholly unfeasible. So also is the rapid-corridor project for
which the city district government claims to have secured aid to the
tune of $800m from the Asian Development Bank. It can be straightaway
dismissed as no more than boastful deception. So should be the claim of
the nazim that he had already received Rs2.5bn for CNG — from where,
the city government’s propaganda brochure doesn’t say. The federal
government, indeed, has approved a project envisaging subsidy to private
investors who elect to operate CNG buses in major cities with Karachi
getting the first priority. But no operator has come forth in a year.
The CNG bus scheme has lost whatever little attraction it had for
investors with a recent government announcement proposing to equalise
the price of all types of fuel. The private sector now can be persuaded
to buy and operate CNG buses only if one or the other government was to
pick up the difference between the price of the diesel and CNG which is
around 30 per cent.
Fifty years is a period long enough to deceive commuters and keep their
hopes alive. The schemes now being bandied about hold no promise of
improvement for city transport for another decade. In fact, the
situation will aggravate if we do not resort to the only practical and
affordable remedy which is to modernise and expand the bus fleet. This
is the solution always put across by those who know the transport
business or, like this writer, have unsuccessfully tried to regulate it.
Mr Enrique Penalosa, who turned Bogota’s chaotic transport system into
the envy of the developing world, was godsend at this moment of critical
choice. He too has broadly supported this very pragmatic approach with
his experience and demonstrable success as mayor of Bogota.
As advised by Mr Penalosa, wherever the road width permits tram lines
should be laid alongside the bus lanes. That would revive a part of
Karachi’s folklore besides providing its citizens an economical means
of transportation. The planning commission chief Salman Faruqi who is
more of a doer than a dreamer should lose no time in putting his money
on Mr Penalosa than the international financiers and big-ticket players
at home. Both have an axe to grind.
But Mr Faruqi’s first and almost insurmountable task should be to make
the government reconcile itself to the principle of subsidising the
urban transport operations as it is done the world over — even in the
freest of market economies. Punjab under Shahbaz Sharif has started
doing it in a modest way with visible improvement in the quality of city
bus services. Sindh is there only to dither or dream and squabble.
(By
Kunwar Idris, Dawn-7, 28/09/2008)
Sepa
says noise level alarmingly high
In
its latest survey on noise pollution, the Sindh Environmental Protection
Agency (Sepa) has found the vehicular traffic-induced noise in the city
at an alarmingly high level, necessitating some regulatory measures to
reduce people’s exposure to such noise.
Experts say that increased noise pollution makes a direct impact on
human health.
Sepa’s survey revealed that many of the places in the city had become
noisier with a vehicular traffic noise level beyond 85 dB (decibels).
The generation of noise from 40-60 dB is considered of a moderate level.
The highest noise generating source, according to Sepa’s data, is the
fire-engine siren, generating noise at a level of 130 dB, followed by an
ambulance with its siren on, generating noise at 113 dB and pressure
horns installed in minibuses, trailers, oil-tankers in the range of 98
dB to 103 dB. The deafening category of noise is considered to be that
of 105 dB, while a jet engine generates 140db noise at the time it is
started.
Sepa carried out the survey in question through two teams recording the
noise levels with the help of noise meters at about 30 busy and
traffic-sensitive points from 9am to 9pm from Aug 21 to Sept 4. Some
initial findings were also presented to the provincial environment
minister, Askari Taqvi, who later directed Sepa’s director-general Dr
Mohammad Ali Shaikh to conduct similar surveys in other cities of the
province, including Hyderbad and Sukkur.
The area surrounding the Merewether Tower in the central commercial hub
of Karachi came out as the noisiest place in the city with a noise level
of 93.67 dB. Closely following the peak noise level in the city were
areas such as Shershah (93.43 dB), Liaquatabad No 10 (91.9 dB), Empress
Market (90.17 dB) and Numaish Chowrangi on M A Jinnah Road (90.07 dB).
Besides the highest noise generating sources such as fire-engine siren,
ambulance sirens, and pressure horns installed in vehicles, two-stroke
rickshaws with normal silencers generated a noise level of around 85 dB,
while those without silencers went up to 98.8 dB. Another source of
noise pollution identified was motorcycles without silencers, which
generated noise at 91.2 dB.
The areas with noise levels between 85 and 90 dB were Burnes Road
(Fresco Chowk), Tibet Center, the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, Teen
Hutti, Nazimabad No 2, Golimar Chowrangi, Garden, Nazimabad HBL, Ghani
Chorangi and Shaheen Complex.
The areas with a noise level between 80 and 85 dB were Water Pump,
Sohrab Goth, Nagan Chowrangi, Hyderi, Lasbella Chowk, Gulshan Chowrangi,
NIPA Chowrangi, Civic Centre, Jail Chowrangi, PIDC House intersection,
Jauhar Mor, Drigh Road, Karsaz Bridge, Malir 15, Quaidabad and Dawood
Chowrangi. The survey conducted by Sepa is the second in 14 years.
The Sepa DG said that the country had no national environmental quality
standards on noise, but he personally felt that it was high time that
measures were taken for the reduction of vehicular noise with the
support of the city government and the traffic police.
“We should go for checking the highest noise polluters and adopt a
policy discouraging the sale and use of pressure horns and emergency
sirens and reduce traffic congestions,” he said.
Dr S. M. Qaiser Sajjad, an ENT surgeon and former secretary of the PMA,
said that noise up to 80-85 dB was tolerable by humans for four to five
hours, but any regular exposure to the same or increase in the noise
level could cause serious health problems, including hearing impairment.
Other adverse impact of increased traffic noise level include vertigo,
aggravated and severe headache, irritations, short-temper, confusion,
tension, loss of memory, and increase in blood pressure that could often
lead to cardiac problems.
He suggested that efforts be made not only to phase out the two-stroke
engine rickshaws, but authorities should also ensure alternatives,
including some new alignment of traffic on roads, non-accumulation of
traffic near hospitals, schools and marketplaces.
Scientists define noice as unwanted or excessive sound. Sound becomes
unwanted when it interferes with normal activities, such as sleep, work,
speech, or recreation. People react to noise differently, based on many
emotional and physical factors. A decibel (dB) is the unit used to
indicate the intensity of a sound wave. Noise is often measured in
decibels using an A-weighted scale (dBA) because this method
approximates the way humans hear sound.
(By
Mukhtar Alam, Dawn-17, 10/09/2008)
DHA
waterfront project
Sepa
fails to hold its standpoint
In
a strange move the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), not
keeping to its earlier standpoint, has given the go-ahead to the Defence
Housing Authority for the development of a multi-billion rupee
waterfront project, disregarding the concerns of urban planners who
wanted a thorough environmental and social evaluation of the project in
line with the environmental laws. Sources in the environmental watchdog
said that the big-wigs could not resist the external pressures and had
finally ordered the subordinates to keep a low-profile in the matter.
Now the authority has decided not to pursue the submission of another
DHA report under Section 12 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection
Act, 1997, and the IEE/EIA Regulations, 2000, in the case of a
commercial district being developed by a Gulf-based firm on reclaimed
land in Defence Phase VIII, said a source privy to the relevant
exercise. The environmental laws require that every new development
project in the country has to be preceded by an initial environmental
examination (IEE) or environmental impact assessment (EIA) depending on
the size and severity of the impact anticipated at the commissioning of
the project.
The IEE/EIA mandates the proponent to comply with the government
regulations and minimise the negative impact on the environment as far
as possible. There is a rule of thumb under the environmental laws that
proponents of a project costing not more than Rs50 million can be issued
an NOC on the submission of an IEE report, while the project beyond
these parameters is required to be examined for environmental impact
assessment. After receiving the detailed reports prepared from the
scientific, micro and macro-environmental, social and economic points of
view, the environmental protection agency concerned holds public
hearings and frames a set of environmental management plans and
guidelines on mitigation measures for the proponent if the government
agency clears the project submitted to it.
The project was opened to public for reservation of residential
apartments numbering over 4,000 in December 2007, said a source, adding
that till the end of last year the DHA had not reported to Sepa for the
environmental impact assessment of the project featuring towers of
residential and commercial use. However, in the wake of concerns of the
stakeholders it had to submit an IEE report to Sepa for clearance in the
middle of January 2008. Only a few days before the last general
election, Sepa issued an NOC against the IEE report to the DHA
waterfront development planned over coastal land stretching from Sindbad
(old casino) to the Golf Course. A source in the agency said that the
then caretaker environment minister and environment secretary visited
the DHA offices for a briefing from the administrative high-ups. Minutes
of the meeting were prepared by the DHA, which is considered as the
basis for the grant of NOC, the source said. The caretaker minister and
the secretary asked the then director-general to issue NOC against the
IEE report, which was done. The move left room for stakeholders to say
that Sepa should have asked the DHA to submit an EIA report and not rest
with the mere submission of IEE report. Besides, Sepa should also have
invited comments from experts and members of civil society by holding a
public hearing.
Seven zones
According
to the DHA plan, “Zone E”, one of the seven zones conceptualised
under the WFD located along the south-west coastline, will have a
cluster of high-rise buildings, including a five-star hotel, tourist
resort, residential complex, vocational dwellings, mosques, clubhouse,
retail outlets and green areas and desalination plant.
After the general election and posting of a new director-general, Sepa,
in view of stakeholders’ concerns, told the DHA in the first week of
May that certain activities undertaken by the private developers as part
of the waterfront development project violated the government rules and
should, therefore, be stopped immediately.
Sepa served a show-cause notice upon the DHA asking it to explain its
position within 15 days as to why a condition given in the IEE report on
a concept plan of the project had been violated by engaging private
builders to develop huge physical structure for commercial purposes and
why the approval of an EIA had not been obtained. In May, the DHA was
told to submit a comprehensive EIA report on development of a few
west-facing complexes in one of its zones for review and approval of
Sepa after holding public hearing, otherwise the previously granted
approval to the plan would stand cancelled. The DHA responded to the
notice, which Sepa found unconvincing and asked the DHA to put the
construction activity on hold and undertake a comprehensive EIA.
Following Sepa’s letter, it was learnt that the DHA again called the
minister and secretary and justified the WDP activities. According to
the source, Sepa sent another letter to DHA’s project director on Aug
4, a day before Dr Mohammad Ali Shaikh took over as DG. In the letter, a
Sepa director, referring to a letter (dated June 19) received from the
DHA said that its standpoint on the development activities in parts of
its WDP was examined and it was found that the related details and
environmental impact, including mitigation steps of a bay complex and
two other projects, were covered in the IEE approved by Sepa on Feb 15.
In view of the clarifications by the DHA, Sepa excluded the bay
commercial district for any EIA proceedings but suggested the DHA engage
an environmental consulting firm to implement the mitigation steps
provided in the IEE and to submit the monitoring reports to it on a
quarterly basis.
Dr Mohammad Ali Shaikh, when contacted, said that he had studied the
case and talked to the quarters concerned and as such he understood that
the existing legal provisions pertaining to the IEE and EIA called for a
re-examination of the DHA’s WDP and its subsequent components. “I am
approaching the federal government for a clear-cut policy on the
projects and to seek guidance about whether the issuance of an IEE
report, submission and approval was enough for undertaking multi-billion
dollar projects like the WDP without holding any public hearing or
scientific and technical deliberations,” he said.
(By
Mukhtar Alam, Dawn-13, 08/09/2008)
People’s
right to know
THE
world celebrates Sept 28 as International Right to Know Day and the
decision to mark this day was taken on this very day at an international
meeting of right-to-information activists in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2002.
They proposed that the date be dedicated to the promotion of access to
information worldwide.
Over 80 countries, including Pakistan, have carried out legislations on
the freedom of information and many other countries are in the process
of enacting laws to facilitate citizens’ access to information.
This year, this day has special significance for Pakistan as we have
once again been able to put the derailed process of democracy back on
track. The nation can ill-afford this long, drawn-out oscillation
between dictatorial regimes and democratic dispensations, an obvious
characteristic of our political history. We have had general elections
before; the nation has witnessed oath-taking ceremonies of presidents,
prime ministers, speakers, chief ministers, ministers, MNAs and MPAs in
the past. But it has also seen democratic set-ups overthrown time and
again.
How can we put in place a democratic system that has the ability to
sustain itself and would not be taken over by a dictatorial juggernaut?
In order to answer this question, we need to understand how politicians
and some sections of the press have deliberately promoted the
self-serving concept of public accountability. Furthermore, we need to
understand the concept of public accountability, its linkage with the
right to information and as to why the world celebrates the Right to
Know Day.
Politicians would like us to believe that people hold them accountable
through elections. They have been harping on about this forever and the
concept of electoral accountability has now achieved a ‘hallowed’
status. These representatives want a carte blanche from citizens in the
intervening period between two general elections. How can we make
informed choices about who to elect if we are ignorant about the
financial conduct of our politicians when they are in power? After all,
we elect them to put our resources to judicious use for our collective
benefit. How do we know that our resources are not being squandered?
Politicians conduct media trials of one another by issuing statements of
alleged rent-seeking, embezzlement and the misappropriation of public
funds. The truth, however, remains elusive as these statements amount to
nothing but words. Instead of conducting deeper probes and looking
beyond these statements, the media continues to facilitate the blame
game, creating a trust deficit for politicians. As a result, no tears
are shed when they are sent packing. This has happened in the past and
has the potential to happen in the future as well. How can this
situation be rectified? This is where a citizen’s right to know comes
into play.
The emphasis on electoral accountability needs to be replaced with
everyday accountability. This is in the best interest of politicians as
a class. Proceedings of the standing committees of parliament need to be
made open to journalists and concerned civil society groups who should
be invited to participate in these meetings as observers. Some
democracies have effective legislation on the freedom of information to
ensure daily accountability. Such legislation provides citizens easy,
cost-effective and speedy access to information. Our current legislation
on this issue came about in the shape of an ordinance in 2002. It was a
decision on policy actions agreed on with the Asian Development Bank
during negotiations for the loan.
The government, however, is in the process of repealing this weak law.
The Freedom of Information Bill 2008 has already been drafted and the
government is likely to present it in parliament for discussion. The
significance of this law for the media as the fourth pillar of the state
can hardly be exaggerated. Apart from providing a framework for
proactive disclosure of information, it will provide guidelines to
journalists on the submission of information requests in order to have
access to official documents. In other words, they will be able to
investigate how true corruption charges actually are with trouble-free
access to public documents. This way, they will be able to keep a
watchful eye on public representatives and ensure everyday
accountability. Therefore, it is extremely important that we have an
intense discussion on this law in print and on the electronic media. No
matter which political party has been in power, we have never believed
that it is ‘our government’. This has been largely due to the fact
that we have not been made to feel a part of a particular regime. We may
have meagre resources but we do need to know how these are being managed
and spent. This will only happen when there is a free flow of
information. If a government is not open, what difference does it make
whether it has a general or an elected politician at the helm?
(By
Zahid Abdullah, Dawn-6, 28/09/2008)
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