A government – federal, provincial or local, is essentially a service institution. Of them the closest to the common citizen is the local government. In our times, most of the basic services that a citizen needs for his self-development and self-actualization and community bonding are assigned to the local governments. It includes health, education, security, housing and law and order. Pakistan has over the last 70 years adopted a step-motherly approach towards developing a system of credible and reliable services delivery. It comes more as a personal grace of a functionary – an MNA, MPA or a Mayor, and not as a matter of right. This apathy is partly due to colonial past wherein the growth and development of individuals and community was secondary to perpetuation of the raj.
Elections are round the corner. The new political regime irrespective of the party shades would be doing a great job in empowering and serving the common man by both allocating optimum resources at local levels and installing a triangular delivery model raised on the principles of transparency, predictability and accountability. Transparency entails complete disclosure as to what services every government is responsible to render and on fulfillment of what prerequisites. Predictability means as to which front desk worker would receive the desired paper and which window in what time frame would deliver the work. Accountability stipulates that the officials behind the front desk would be made accountable to delay, and the immediate or top bosses would also be made accountable for their continued inaction towards taking to task the non-performers. The team spearheading the ‘jihad’ of Radd-ul-Fasaad can also customize the triangular model for ensuring street by street and home by home security to common man and achieve in return a comparatively early access to their goal post.