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PAC delegates critique holes in LGA

Delegates to a two-day Public Affairs Committee (PAC) All-inclusive Stakeholders’ Conference on reforms on Local Government Act (LGA) have punched holes into the law and have unanimously recommended that it is high time reforms on its provisions were made.

The stakeholders, who included representatives from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MoLGRD), civil society organisations (CSOs), traditional leaders, political parties and members of Parliament (MPs), agreed this at the end of the conference on Wednesday at Sunbird Mount Soche in Blantyre.

Chingota: There are gaps
Chingota: There are gaps

The delegates were divided into four randomly constituted groups and responded to assigned questions that included the possible areas that needed  review in the LGA as well as operational guidelines on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and Local Development Fund (LDF).

According to the delegates, some of the provisions in the Act that do not go together with the existing policies include the provision that gives powers to an MP to vote at the council as well as the tenure of the council chairperson and vice-chairperson.

Lucky Mbewe, Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (Yece) executive director, said the voting of MPs at the council level interferes with democracy as well as other activities at the council level because some MPs end up sidelining councillors who do not belong to the same party with them.

Speaking when he opened the conference on Tuesday, MoLGRD principal secretary Kester Kaphaizi said the ministry commends the CSOs for the dialogue in the Local Government (Amendment) Act of 2010 which is largely regarded as retrogressive to the decentralisation process.

Kaphaizi said as such, there is a need for concerted effort and unity of purpose as a nation to ensure that the Local Government law is reformed to facilitate effective local governance and development.

PAC chairperson the Reverend Felix Chingota  said given the gaps in district councils which is usually read in the media, it is the inter-faith democracy watchdog’s view that transformative leadership at national level would not be complete without realising transformative leadership at local level. n

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