The Hindu 02.08.2010
Local governance in the State all set for a paradigm shift
C. Gouridasan Nair
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Local governance in Kerala is all set for a paradigm shift with the coming local body elections, both on account of the Central role that women are set to play in the new dispensation and the high visibility quotient that the local self-government institutions have acquired with their innovative efforts at participatory development.
Decentralised governance has, as the 30-part ‘Stories of Change’ series published in these columns exemplified in ample measure, thrown open tremendous possibilities for political participation and innovation. One major area is women’s participation and, despite the several ifs and buts being heard in the back channels, the coming elections could turn out to be a game changer. That the parties have not done enough home work on women’s participation does worry many people, but there is still the hope that once the appropriate lessons are taken, the enhanced women’s representation could prove a turning point in the decade-and-a-half-old history of decentralised governance in Kerala.
The scale of women’s participation in the governance process, particularly through the Kudumbasree movement, has been significant, though the freedom they have enjoyed in decision-making has left much to be desired. With the coming elections being fought on the principle of 50 per cent reservation for women and the right attitudes taking roots, the State might well see a new and mature leadership culture and content come to the fore at the grassroots.
This would, of course, necessitate an all-out battle to dismantle the deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes and decision-making structures within political parties and governance platforms.
Those who skipper the whole process of decentralised governance at the State level, particularly Local Self-Government Minister Paloli Mohammed Kutty, are worried about the poor quality of participation and lack of initiative at the local level now. But they also admit that in places where inspired individuals have taken the initiative to innovate and experiment, the State has produced some wonderful results. What they have succeeded in doing is to push a strong political agenda at their level by taking advantage of a largely non-political normative governance agenda.
Best practices
At many places, this has resulted in transparent and corruption-free development and produced scalable models and best practices cutting across regions and political divisions. In places where decentralised governance has succeeded, it has also had to do with the victors and the vanquished joining hands after fighting bitter elections. More significantly, at least in some places, the initial adversarial relationship between the State legislators and the local government players has given way to fruitful partnerships.
Similarly, though political sensitivities in the State do not permit many, particularly in the Left, to admit the large role being played by ‘people’s groups’ (read civil society groups) in the local-level governance initiatives, the partnership between them and the local government institutions is a major component of the decentralisation narrative. It is, perhaps, a case of new synergies shaping up at the local level. Coupled with the harnessing of the local level expertise, this has proved a key ingredient of the action at the local level.
But all this does not mean that the picture is rosy all over. There are very serious danger signals out there. The most serious of these is the spreading tentacles of corruption.
Equally important is the flagging interest in participation at the local level and the inability of several local bodies to harness local expertise. Again, although the attempts at reinvigorating food production have had some success, it is founded on questionable legal grounds.
The validation of decentralised governance clearly lies in its implementation. When the State set out on the path of decentralised governance on a massive scale, it had no models to follow.
Now that several local bodies have come up with their indigenous answers for their local problems and created models that are worth emulation, those who take over the reins of administration at the grassroots on October 2 have a lot of history to learn from and make things happen.
