Editorial
In a parliamentary democracy, power must come with electability. The more elected a leader is, the more legitimacy he enjoys while in power. Thus, only elected political executives have the mandate to lead, direct, and utilize accountability tools over the bureaucratic executive and judicial executive. Most importantly, the political executive is not too free. It has to operate under strict constitutional safeguards, such as ensuring internal democratic norms inside parties, etc. The supreme power vests within the constitution; it allows the political executive to hold the other branches of government accountable through standing committees and calling-attention orders in the parliament.
In Pakistan, governance will not be improved unless it’s decided who has the real power: the people or the bureaucracy. Before creating new administrative divisions, Pakistan must settle on a power base in society: who will be the actual power broker in society? It’s possible if political parties sit in the parliament and sign a charter of society and build a consensus on the fundamental issues of society: the economy, bureaucracy, judiciary, etc.
Good governance is not about changing the boundaries of cities. For instance, dividing Lahore into pieces is not a good idea at all. The city of Lahore has a historical identity. It has to be preserved, not broken. Lahore needs an autonomous city government, not divisions.
Not just Lahore, all great cities have their unique historical significance. They serve with good governance. The population excuse is not enough to divide cities. For instance, the metropolitan area in London holds 9.9 million people. Greater London has around 9.1 million residents, according to official Office for National Statistics data. The City of London—the historic financial center—has a tiny resident population of around 8,500 people, though over 500,000 jobs are based over there. Did London achieve good governance by dividing itself into pieces?
If new administrative units are created, only elected people should have the right to govern. Babus have failed governance. They cannot be allowed to lead the special operations of complex cities.
