The Local Government (LG) has become the recent bone of contention with both the Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) and Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs (MOHCA) claiming that they are in-charge of dealing with the LG.
The confusion cropped up after a LG department was recently created in the home ministry, while the GNHC already has a division looking after LG development which was transferred to them from the home ministry during the interim government period. This confusion was further exacerbated with the vague nature of a cabinet directive creating the Department of Local Governance in the MOHCA but not clearly specifying it’s duties and powers or distinguishing it from to the GNHC’s own Local Government division.
The under-current here is that the DPT government is not comfortable with its planning agency having any executive functions. However, the so far the muddy waters has allowed some constructive debate between the two agencies.
“We have received no formal orders and everything is as it was”, said GNHC Secretary Karma Tshiteem. “The GNHC’s interest is in planning and not implementing and now that the Constitution calls for an apolitical local government, our Geog Administrative Officer (GAO) is only a planning officer,” he said. “With an apolitical LG it is really under no one so we have to create structures that suite the new situation.”
He said that in the past there were coordination and planning issues with the LG. “Now if there is any weakness in the LG , we should be held accountable.” He said that GNHC’s role was to plan, allocate resources, coordinate and help in the capacity building of the LG.
On the status of GAOs he said “there is no directives on the GAO’s and the re-establishment of the DLG under home ministry has not touched that.”
He said that since planning was under GNHC, the GAO’s were planning officers who needed to coordinate with the commission on the LG plans. “The GNHC is chaired by the Prime Minister and we are a part of the government and will follow what they say,” he clarified.
An observer said that while the GNHC see the need of GAO’s to help efficiently execute, coordinate and monitor the plans made by the LG the home ministry saw a need to have someone for better coordination on issues like legal matters, law and order and administration.
Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley explaining the re-establishment of DLG said, “We have decentralised the local government but that does not mean we abandon them since their capacity especially that of gewogs are very low at this time.”
He said that the gewog administration had powers but was inadequate in its capacity and needed to be monitored. He said that the people could not be abandoned to an administration yet to develop capacity.
“The planning commission is exactly that as it is a planning and policy making body for the entire government and not an executive body,” said the Lyonchhoen. The Prime Minister said under the command of His Majesty the Fourth King, he himself was in charge of the first phase of decentralization but that he was not able to give enough support leading to several Dzongdas loosing their jobs.
The Prime Minister said that the entire government structure would be reviewed in which the RCSC would play an important role.
Home minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji said. “the new DLG will mean that whole stock of LG functions under GNHC will be transferred.” He said that it was difficult otherwise to coordinate activities like law and order for all 20 dzongkhags.
He said that the GAOs would be under MOHCA but there would be a mechanism to report to GNHC with planning officers already present at the dzongkhag level.
Source: Kuenselonline
