In recent local government elections, heads were broken instead of being counted for constituting the third tier of democracy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The people of the province took a keen interest in the local government elections because most of their problems are local. Members of the provincial and central legislatures are least bothered about the problems their constituents face on a day-to-day basis. On the other hand, the members of local bodies are easily accessible and better placed to serve the interests of the common man. In the run up to the present election, unprecedented political and social activity was witnessed throughout the length and breadth of the province. The number of contesting candidates was at an all time high. The subsequent politicking and electioneering was a feast in itself. As a matter of fact, the present local government Act envisaged, at least in theory, a more powerful and responsible system of governance than the previous one introduced by General Pervez Musharraf. Some of the loopholes that existed in the previous system were plugged. However, democratic euphoria evaporated into thin air when the time for casting the ballots approached. The whole exercise culminated in unprecedented mismanagement, rigging and violence.
The hectic electioneering and politicking at the grassroots level provided some respite from the morbid debate about militancy, extremism and religious violence. This change in discourse was like a feast for our sore ears. The candidates frenziedly campaigned and the people participated in the process with unparalleled zeal and fervour. It turned the process into a festivity. The number of candidates contesting for female seats were far greater than those of the previous elections held. The high turnout of female voters in the present election was the only good thing to rejoice about. The womenfolk came out of their homes even in the rural areas of the province to cast their votes. Had there been no mismanagement and violence, we would have been writing about this bright aspect of the elections in more detail and even with an air of pride.
The exercise badly exposed the capacity of our civil administration and law enforcement agencies to plan and execute accordingly. Usually, in local government elections the turnout is higher than the general elections for provincial and national assemblies. The large number of contesting candidates amply demonstrated the belief of the people in self-governance instead of the apathetic administrative model of governance designed by our colonial masters. Though an improvement over the previous system, the election was simultaneously on a party and non-party basis. However, it made the process tedious, cumbersome and time consuming. Every voter was to cast a half dozen ballots in the process. Keeping in view these simple facts, the civil administration both at the provincial and district levels should have clearly communicated their lack of capacity to the political executive and the election commission as well. However, they overestimated their capacity, as they often do, to please their political bosses, thanks to power point presentations that have made even this task far easier for them. It is a matter of great concern how poorly our top guns in the civil administration plan for something as important as elections.
When it comes to implementation, we are very good as a nation at turning an opportunity into a disaster. Keeping in view the complex nature of the balloting process and the expected high turnout, the people should have been educated through advertisements in the media. We often see too many ads in the media that eulogise the performance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government day in and day out. As far as the electronic media is concerned, it will never indulge in anything remotely concerned with educating the public free of cost. Once the ill-planned process started, mismanagement became the buzzword at almost all the polling sites in the province. The poorly paid polling staff cried for help but there was no reinforcement available to bring the situation under control. This amply demonstrates that our civilian babus are only good for putting their signatures on files in air-conditioned offices. The lack of capacity of the civilian administration is a serious concern. If a planned activity like the election is so poorly managed, in the case of a calamity (natural or man-made) their performance is anybody’s guess.
This account of the poor performance of the civilian administration and law enforcement agencies is not meant to exonerate the political executive. They are feeling the heat in the form of post-election protests. The election exploded all the myths of their good governance and the model police force they always boast about. Irrespective of the number of seats won or lost, the greatest loser is the PTI government in the province. This has also served a severe blow to the protest movement the PTI has been pursuing for the last two years for the sanctity of the ballot.
The author is assistant accountant general, Peshawar