Time to decide

May 13, the day for electing second cycle of local government under federalism in Nepal, is historic for it reinforces the spirit of representative politics in municipalities re-kindled five years ago. As people vote on the day, they will not only be performing their citizens’ duty but also be contributing to strengthening the bedrock of democracy and development in the country. Their vote will also be for the cause of overall development of the place they live in. Local development, although emphasized specifically in various plans and projects of government, has not been effective for various reasons. Resources meant for the development have been spent for fulfilling the wishes of partisan leaders. Some resources were spent in non-viable projects while others were focused on schemes with propaganda value. Despite pressure from the media and civil society former representatives could not concentrate on the right track to development. Candidates fighting the election this time are repeating slogans that their predecessors raised. Their manifestoes are examples of a set of high promises and dreamy schemes. They do not possess applicability and practicality for they are not based on research and past experience. They are motivated by the desire to grab power. Voters should therefore be careful in electing representatives. They should make an informed decision on the day about the development of their constituencies. Some sort of evaluation of the former representatives and their work during their tenure in the municipalities should be made. Apart from that political parties which ran the local government should also be tested. Those who did not do well should be checked this time. Those who have viable plans, are capable for performance, appear to have a sense of accountability should be given a chance. Voting for the right candidate should therefore be the guiding factor for the people. Deciding who the right candidate is depends on the people. They could of course develop their own criteria for picking up the candidates. They could make up their mind on the information they get about the candidate and the party concerned. Information flow should therefore be maintained until the voting day. Such flow should of course be free and fair. Let all stakeholders of the local polls take this point seriously!