[ PROTEST IN PAKISTAN TO ROLLBACK REPRESENTATION OF LABOUR AND WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVT: Reports and Pictures
Besides content posted below see also related content : Letter to the Pakistan President [Urdu] URL: www.sacw.net/pakistan/lettertoPakpresidentFeb2005.gif Picture of Demo in Karachi URL: www.sacw.net/pakistan/Dawn-Pic-16Feb05.jpg Reports on Protest in Hyderabad Daily Jang 15 Feb (in Urdu) URL: www.sacw.net/pakistan/HYD-Daily%20Jang15Feb05.jpg Dawn 15 Feb (in English) URL: sacw.net/pakistan/HYD-Dawn15Feb05.jpg ] o o o o As per our decision to condemn the decision of the government regarding reduction Labour and Women seats in the next local government elections, a campaign has been started throughout the country. At Karachi, we organized a seminar with launching of a signature campaign and a protest rally at press club on 15th February 2005. Labour Rights Committees (LRCs) also organized these activities at their respective districts throughout the country. Enclosed please find a report, an open letter to President and some of the press clippings. --Pakistan Institute for Labour Education and Research Karachi, Pakistan o o o o PROMOTING LABOUR RIGHTS THROUGH LABOUR AND WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT On December 28, 2004, in a high level meeting presided over by President General Pervaiz Musharraf, besides other decisions regarding the local government system, it was also decided to reduce the strength of union council from 21 to 13. The decision taken by the government has widely been opposed throughout the country by the people of all walks of life especially the working class and the women. PILER, which has been working for the empowerment of the working class and marginalized sections of the society and has an experience of working for the promotion of local government system, also felt these changes as a major setback to the process of empowerment of women and working class. So PILER in collaboration of other civil society organizations, trade unions, councillors and concerned citizens planned a campaign against these changes in the local government system. It was decided to organize seminars, protest rallies and launching of signature campaign throughout the country. On 15 February 2004, seminars and protest rallies were held at district level throughout the country. In Karachi a seminar with title "The issue of labour and women representation at local government" was organized. In this seminar nearly 450 people participated who included councillors, nazmeen, and representatives of civil society organizations and trade unions. Seminar was presided over by Chairman Labour Committee in City District Council Karachi and renowned trade unionist Mr. Saeed Ghani. Mr. Saeed Ghani in his presidential speech said that a UC in Karachi is double in size as compared to the UCs in the rest of the country as a result the representation of women and labour has dropped to half in number. He stressed that the size of the UCs at Karachi should be increased so that the number of labour and women councillors becomes adequate for their representation. He opposed all those changes, which harm the principle of empowerment of marginalized sections of society. He also clarified that nazmeen are not against the payment of honorarium to the UC Councillors. He further said that the provincial government has no legal right to appoint administrators at city, town or UC level. He assured labour and women councillors that he not only endorses their demands but also remains a part of their movement against this change. Mr. Usman Baloch, a senior trade union leader and political activist, said that when this system was introduced, generally it was hoped that from the womb of the traditional power structure, a new and peoples’ friendly system would emerge at the grass-root level, in which civil bureaucracy would genuinely work under the guidance and supervision of the elected representatives at each layer of the district governance. To him the whole optimism was an illusion because the army government has no interest in people’s empowerment. He said that his party had been demanding labour and women’s empowerment for the last many decades. He opposed the changes made by the government in the local government system, which would ultimately affect the working class and women’s right. Ms. Shamim Wasi, a lady City Councillor asked the government to double the strength instead of reducing it. Mir Zulfiqar Ali of PILER, in his speech said that PILER has not only appreciated and supported the local government system introduced in 2000 but also became the part of the campaign for its consolidation in the society. We supported this system only for the reason that for the first time in the history of Pakistan women and working people were given representation at all the three tiers of local governance. There were 6 seats reserved each for women and working class people and one seat for religious minorities at UC level. In a similar way women were given 33% and labour and minorities 5% representation each at tehsil (or town) and district level. Now when the representation of women and workers is being reduced we want to register our protest in this regard. Others who spoke on this occasion were, City Councillors Mr. Muslim Pervaiz, Ms. Mangla Sharma, Ms. Shamim Mumtaz Wasi, Labour councillors Mr. Umar Khan, Ms. Rehana Yasmeen, Ms. Hameeda Begum, Mr. Faqeer Muhammad Ropa, trade union leaders Mr. Farid Awan, Mr. Majeed Shaikh and Mirza Maqsood. All the speakers opposed the reduction in the strength of the union council and demanded next elections should be on the formula already in force. After the seminar the participants endorsed an open letter to General Pervaiz Musharraf and participated in the protest rally at Karachi Press Club. The protesters chanted slogans against the possible appointment of administrators in place of elected nazmeen, reduction of seats at UC, decrease in the seats of women and labour and in support of honorarium for all councillors. There were more than 500 protesters present at the rally and they remained there for more than half an hour. The Newspapers prominently highlighted the seminar and the protest rally on the next day. Daily Dawn published the full text of the open letter. o o o o AN OPEN LETTER TO GENERAL PERVAIZ MUSHARRAF PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN Yours Excellency, We want to invite your attention to the decision taken by your government on 28 December 2004 to make some vital changes in the structure of the local government system. According to the new plan the strength at union council has been reduced from 21 to 13, which will ultimately affect the representation of women and the labour in the local governments. On 14 August 2000, when the present government announced Local Government Ordinance 2000, civil society organizations not only appreciated and supported it but also became the part of the campaign for its consolidation in the society on the following grounds: For the first time in the history of Pakistan women and working people were given representation at all the three tiers of local governance. There were 6 seats reserved each for women and working class people and one seat for religious minorities at UC level. In a similar way women were given 33% and labour and minorities 5% representation each at tehsil (or town) and district level. Though reserved seats are not an adequate method of ensuring the participation of any of the sections of a society but in the prevailing social, political and economic scenario of our country, reserved seats for women, labour and the minorities provided them an opportunity to become a part in the institutions of policy and governance at the grass-root. It was hoped that a three tier local governance system, which emerged under this ordinance, would help in devolution of all institutions, departments and divisions concerning the policy-making, development and public services at local level. It was also hoped that from the womb of the traditional power structure, a new and peoples’ friendly system would emerge at the grass-root level, in which civil bureaucracy would genuinely work under the guidance and supervision of the elected representatives at each layer of the district governance. There are more than 40,000 labour and women representatives throughout the country, which is an adequate number for mobilization of basic rights. At the stage when some of the public service departments are still awaiting devolution and the police order 2002 needs some basic reforms, the basic structure of representation at the local governance system has been restructured and amended instead of reforming the administrative structure and making the system more viable. Thus at this very time when consideration should have been given to increasing the size of the union council, and a consideration to further empowering women and labour at this level of governance, the very opposite has been done. It is evident from the political history of Pakistan that the gender and class barriers are very strong and the privileged class is always willing to concentrate all powers in its own hands. So the reduction in reserved seats for both these underprivileged sections of society would further increase their vulnerability and the dream for their empowerment would not be materialized. In the light of the above mentioned facts we think that the decision to reduce the number of councillors at UC level should be withdrawn and the reserved seats for women and workers should remain unchanged. So we appeal in the greater interests of the nation and for the empowerment of the underprivileged sections of the society, the reduction in the representation of the reserved seats be withdrawn. o o o o Dawn 16 February 2005 http://www.dawn.com/2005/02/16/nat28.htm Cut in seats for women, workers opposed By Our Reporter KARACHI, Feb 15: Gen Pervez Musharraf has been asked to withdraw the decision to reduce the number of councillors at union council level and the reserved seats for women and workers. This has been stressed in an open letter endorsed by participants of a seminar and protest rally organized by the Pakistan Institute for Labour Education and Research here on Tuesday. The letter states: "We appeal in the greater interests of the nation and for the empowerment of the underprivileged sections of society the reduction in the representation of the reserved seats (should) be withdrawn. We want to invite your attention to the decision taken by your government on Dec 28, 2004 to make some vital changes in the structure of the local government system. According to the new plan, the strength at union council has been reduced from 21 to 13, which will ultimately affect the representation of women and labour in the local governments. "On Aug 14, 2000 when the present government announced Local Government Ordinance 2000, civil society organizations not only appreciated and supported it but also became the part of the campaign for its consolidation in the society on the following grounds: 1- For the first time in the history of Pakistan, women and working people were given representation at all the three tiers of local governance. There were six seats reserved each for women and working class people and one seat for religious minorities at UC level. In a similar way, women were given 33 per cent and labour and minorities 5 per cent representation each at tehsil (or town) and district level. 2- Though reserved seats are not an adequate method of ensuring the participation of any of the sections of a society but in the prevailing social, political and economic scenario of our country, reserved seats for women, labour and the minorities provided them an opportunity to become a part in the institutions of policy and governance at the grassroots level. 3- It was hoped that a three tier local governance system, which emerged under this ordinance, would help in devolution of all institutions, departments and divisions concerning the policy-making, development and public services at local level. 4- It was also hoped that from the womb of the traditional power structure, a new and public-friendly system would emerge at the grassroots level, in which civil bureaucracy would genuinely work under the guidance and supervision of the elected representatives at each layer of the district governance. 5- There are more than 40,000 labour and women representatives throughout the country, which is an adequate number for mobilization of basic rights. The letter further states: "At the stage when some of the public service departments are still awaiting devolution and the Police Order 2002 needs some basic reforms, the basic structure of representation in local governance system has been restructured and amended instead of reforming the administrative structure and making the system more viable. Thus, at this very time when consideration should have been given to increasing the size of the union council, and a consideration to further empowering women and labour at this level of governance, the very opposite has been done. It is evident from the political history of Pakistan that the gender and class barriers are very strong and the privileged class is always willing to concentrate all powers in its own hands. So the reduction in reserved seats for both these underprivileged sections of society would further increase their vulnerability and the dream for their empowerment would not be materialized," it concludes. In the light of the above mentioned facts we think that the decision to reduce the number of councillors at UC level should be withdrawn and the reserved seats for women and workers should remain unchanged. So we appeal in the greater interests of the nation and for the empowerment of the underprivileged sections of the society, the reduction in the representation of the reserved seats be withdrawn. _________________________________ Labour Notes South Asia (LNSA): An informal archive and mailing list for trade unionists and labour activists based in or working on South asia. LNSA Mailing List: Labour Notes South Asia To subscribe send a blank message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> LNSA Web site: groups.yahoo.com/group/lnsa/ Run by The South Asia Citizens Web www.sacw.net _________________________________ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? 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