2 July 2009
editorial
Mayoral elections currently taking place across the country have been marked by a confusion and skirmishes that have now become traditional.
The disgraceful conduct witnessed everywhere reinforces, again, the need for a thorough overhaul of the laws governing local authorities.
In the first instance, age-old resolutions calling for mayors to be elected by the public rather than a handful of councillors must be implemented.
This will go a long way towards introducing popular governance and diluting the level of corruption and wheeler-dealing that accompanies elections where councillors sell themselves to the highest bidder.
Secondly, the awesome power wielded by the minister for Local Government must be considerably diluted. It is shameful that the minister continues to exercise dictatorial powers over local authorities, to the extent of influencing elections by nominating or revoking the nomination of councillors.
These powers have been grossly abused by a succession of Local Government ministers since independence, and they were somehow retained even with the transition to a multi-party democracy.
Finally, it has become vital that our civic authorities be run by professionals who are shielded from the skulduggery associated with elective politics.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
