CSS Pakistan Affairs | Basic Democracies of Ayub Khan
The following question of CSS Current Affairs is solved by Khirman Batool under the supervision of Howfiv’s Pakistan Affairs and Current Affairs Coaches. She learnt how to attempt 20 marks question and essay writing from Sir Syed Kazim Ali, Pakistan’s best CSS and PMS English essay and precis teacher with the highest success rate of his students. This solved past paper question is attempted on the pattern taught by Sir to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory and optional subjects for years, and uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Outline
1-Introduction
2-A bird’s eye view of the basic democracies of Ayub Khan
3-Merits of local bodies of Ayub Khan for Pakistan
- ✓Implementation of reforms at the local level
- ✓Increase in active participation of common people in politics
- ✓Govern the developmental programs at the local level
- ✓Establishment of a bridge between government and people
- ✓Introduction of the New Electoral College in Pakistan
- ✓Decentralization of Authority from Federal to Local Level
4-Demerits of the local government of Ayub Khan
- ✓Deficiencies in the structure of BDS
- ✓Non-participant role of basic democrats
- ✓loopholes in the electoral system
- ✓Escalation in urbanization
- ✓Disparity between East and West Pakistan
- ✓Unsatisfactory allocation of functions
- ✓Uncontrolled corruption
5-Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
Ayub Khan gave the country a basic democratic system, giving it the necessity of ruling the country. The BDS has been an essential part of the country as it has made collaboration of government with local people, implementing the reforms as well as developmental programs in a better way. However, it has some loopholes, like the BDs remained a puppet of Ayub Khan. Moreover, the social structure has proved it a big failure that did not stand against urbanization. It has also increased corruption that was unable to be curbed as BDs were very influential. Additionally, the BD were unable to put its efforts into bringing effective change in the system. and it has increased the disparity between the two wings of Pakistan. So, despite of necessity and several features, it has been proved a failure for Pakistan.
A bird’s eye view of the basic democracies of Ayub Khan
After the independence of Pakistan, it continued the British-inherited bureaucratic system. So, Ayub Khan, in his regime, has given the country basic democracies, like green revolutions and industrial revolutions. He has established local governing bodies from the Union Council to the Head of the District Council as Deputy Commissioner. The system was the best system that Pakistan could ever have in a situation where the government was unaware of the wear-about of its inhabitants. So, it was basically developed as an administrative system for the coordination of administrative authority at various levels. Another purpose of its establishment was to act out the government programs at the local level and to develop a base-level coordinated administration, linking it to the upper-level governing bodies.
Merits of local bodies of Ayub Khan for Pakistan
The local government f Ayub Khan was established due to its innate demand for Pakistan, and there are following significance of the local bodies for Pakistan.
- ✓Implementation of reforms at the local level
It was the first step towards the implementation of reforms at the local level. Through the local bodies, the government could sort out the implementation of reforms of Ayub’s government from the grassroots level, and before this, the country lacked integration of the local level in administration decisions. Without consultation with the locals, it became an issue for the government and the people who do not know about day-to-day politics and could not perform in it. So, it was the need of time at that time for the country.
- ✓Increase in active participation of common people in politics
The government is weak if it does not deal with local people upon which it has been ruling. So, to strengthen the government, Ayub Khan has introduced the BDS, which has been structured to navigate the ruling and administration from local level, encouraging them to participate in politics. Ayub Khan’s BDS has involved common people to run the administration, through their cooperation and integration with local bodies.
- ✓Govern the developmental programs at the local level
The government cannot implement any program at the local level if it does not know the mindset of local people towards developmental programs. Through local bodies, the government can mould the mindset of locals and develop any developmental program as per the requirements of localities and local people. Moreover, through this channel, the government can also positively implement any reform at the grassroots level.
- ✓Establishment of a bridge between government and people
Local bodies have been thought of as a bridge between government and people as they monitor all people in their matters, like registration for marriages, know the members of a family and their earning means, and so on. By understanding the local people, the government can understand their needs. And through awareness programs for any developmental project or new reform, the local people can get to know about the government’s next plan. So, it has served as a bridge between government and indigenous people.
- ✓Introduction of the New Electoral College in Pakistan
The BDS has helped Ayub Khan to control administration from the federal area to each local area of the country. This has helped Ayub Khan to resolve all issues from the grassroots level. Also, the democrats from the BDS have been acting as an electoral college for the election of the President in his reign. And due to the system, he has been able to elect himself as President of Pakistan.
- ✓Decentralization of Authority from Federal to Local Level
Being a leader of a country, Ayub Khan was unable to reach every corner of the country, so he decided that through BDS, he could shift his administrating units to each corner of the country. BDS has decentralised the powers of Ayub Khan to the local level for better integration of the country.
Demerits of the local government of Ayub Khan
Although all the reforms were crucial, they had some negative effects, which are the following
- ✓Deficiencies in sthe tructure of BDS
There were some loopholes in BDS that were designed to replace the parliamentary democracy of the country. However, he realised that the provincial elites would not let them implement the structural reform. Moreover, the reason for the abolishment of the 1962 constitution was also the structural loophole of BDS as Provincial Assemblies whose members were to be elected indirectly by the Basic Democrats of the provinces concerned this. In fact, then only four tieres of the Councils remained operational. The members of one Union Council were directly elected by popular vote. The Thana/Tehsil Union Councils were comprised of the Chairmen of the Union Councils of the area. The District Council were partly nominated and partly elected indirectly by the total number of the Chairmen of Union Councils within the juridical limits of the district. In addition, there were also the officials of the nation-building departments. From the functional view, the District Council played a more vital role in West Pakistan, whereas the Thana Council was more significant in East Pakistan. However, the unrepresentative character of the District Councils had greatly undermined their role as effective instruments of local government.
- ✓Non-participant role of basic democrats
A report has analysed that one of the chief weaknesses of the Basic Democracies was that basic democrats were mediocre men, lacking political awareness, education and economic status. That has made them ineffective in playing their role in building up grassroots democracy at the village level. Since about 90% of the BDs were drawn from rural backgrounds, they were steeped in ignorance, superstitions and poverty and had little political training, which made them play their role as passive observers rather than active participants. And their level of participation in the processes of decision making in the union councils was very low. The low-interest articulation potential of the basic democrats obviously prevented them from playing roles effectively as local agents for mobilizing mass support for the regime’s modernizing policies. All This led to making the union council chairmen, who were financially more stable and focused on power and authority
- ✓loopholes in the electoral system
First electoral elections were smoothed as no opposition was standing in the election. However, in the second Presidential election, the situation changed a little bit because political parties were revived in 1962, and the opposition was permitted to take part in the election. On 16th September 1964, it was announced that the combined opposition had invited Miss Fat ma Jinnah, the Quaid’s sister, to be their candidate. The announcement of Miss Fatima Jinnah as the candidate came as a shock to the Ayub government. Before the Presidential election, the election of the Basic Democrats was held in the country. On 22nd January 1965, Presidential elections were held, and Ayub Khan was re-elected for the next five years. The B.D. members remained puppets in the hands of officials and the government. Again, Basic Democrats favoured Ayub Khan because they did not want political suicide.
- ✓Escalation in urbanization
In Ayub Khan’s regime, social transformation occurred, with increased urbanization and with the appearance of different sections of the middle class, with migration from rural to urban increased. The processes came in negation with the formation of government launched by Ayub not just the BDS, but the whole edifice – came crumbling down. Once an originally designed „non-political‟ governance structure came into denial with the wider politics of the time, it was not able to function adequately. All in all, with social transformation, the BDS was proved a failure.
- ✓Disparity between East and West Pakistan
The two wings of Pakistan have faced disparity in their areas as both had equal representation despite the huge difference in the population of the areas. Because of the varying system between East and West Pakistan, but equal representation in the statute democracies increased the sense of disappointment among the people of the east wing
- ✓Unsatisfactory allocation of functions
Analysis of the actual working of Basic Democracies revealed anomalies and a lack of definition in the allocation of functions and responsibilities among the different tiers. To take one such example, drinking water was the responsibility of both the Union Council and District Council. True, the emphasis of the policy of decentralization under Basic Democracies was less on the allocations of powers to the respective than on how to develop an effective relationship in terms of mutual dependence and collaboration.
- ✓Uncontrolled corruption
The lower-level administration also means to govern them through a strong check and balance system. However, to great dissatisfaction, the corruption was unable to control. And since most of Basic Democrats were easily susceptible to pressure and corruption, and lent themselves to bureaucratic control and direction, they became, in effect, unwitting tools of thwarting the growth of democracy at the local level.
Conclusion
Local governing bodies of Ayub Khan were basic democratic bodies that were established to make a connection between local-level and presidential-level governing people. It has several features, including new electoral college, decentralization of authority from federal to local governments, and harmony among all level governing bodies for establishing a better government. However, it has been a failure due to a lack of political education and training of basic democrats, easy manipulation of the people, and uncurbed corruption. Moreover, it was unable to stand against urbanization. Therefore, despite several efforts, it was a failure for the country.
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