Over-Centralisation Hinders Community Development

Local authorities should be given control over their own budgets and more efforts should be made to involve communities in resolving their problems if local government is to become more effective in Tajikistan, according to NBCentralAsia experts.



According to an Avesta news agency report on March 9, the United Nations Development Programme has spent over three million US dollars since 1996 to improve local government in Tajikistan.



The Tajik government made reform of local government structures - jamoats, rural administrations and neighbourhood councils - a priority in the strategy for state governance reform it adopted in March 2006.



As part of this strategy, a draft local administration law, increasing the powers of local authorities, is currently being reviewed by government.



NBCentralAsia analysts say the powers enjoyed by local authorities are currently too restricted, making them heavily dependent on central government.



According to an expert from an international organisation that delivers local authority projects in Tajikistan, the decision-making process is too centralised.



“Local authorities mainly play a consultative role, and have virtually no real powers. They need to be given enough autonomy and financial resources to be able to carry out their role,” said the expert.



Political scientist Parviz Mullojanov explained that the centralisation of power dates from the period immediately after the 1992-97 civil war, when it was necessary to keep pro-government militia commanders on a tight leash.



“However, centralisation has gone too far, and there is an imbalance of power between the centre and local bodies,” he said.



He recommends that in addition to the new local authority law, the jaomat councils and the mahallah (neighbourhood) councils they incorporate should each have their own budgets.



Shodimurod Aloviddinov, executive director of Vatanam (My Homeland), an association of small towns, also stresses the need to give local authorities more financial independence. He argues that the success of local government reform will directly depend on the extend of financial decentralisation.



However, Mullojanov adds that the culture in local authorities should be shaken up as people are too used to a rigid administrative command system. “There has to be a change of mentality should be changed. Our people come from the Soviet school of administration… and need to be trained in new ways.”



Analyst Mizrob Ohunov agrees, saying that local problems cannot be solved unless the community is actively involved, so seminars and training sessions should be organised for local leaders.



“Issues like improving the water supply system, cleaning drainage networks and improving the local environment can be tackled through joint partnership with residents - through their activity and initiatives.”



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)