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K.G. Kumar

With its history of decentralisation and its inherent bias for public action, Kerala is bound to benefit from its association with the CLGF.

KERALA has joined the ranks of Gujarat and Maharashtra as the third Indian State selected for the Commonwealth local government good practice scheme to be implemented by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) in collaboration with the All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG). The scheme will be implemented in four countries that are actively pursuing decentralisation - South Africa, Ghana, Jamaica and India.

The CLGF was founded in 1995, as a focus for action on local democracy in the Commonwealth and was endorsed by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their meeting in New Zealand that year. This followed the 1991 Harare Declaration, which established a set of core values - including democracy and human rights - around which many Commonwealth activities have been based.

CLGF is based in London and supports a regional information office in Southern Africa (Harare) and a regional project office in the Pacific (Fiji). It has more than 160 members in 40 Commonwealth countries. Members include local government associations, individual local authorities, and ministries with responsibility for local government. Professional bodies, research institutions and other organisations with an interest in local government can join as associate members.

The CLGF works to promote and strengthen effective democratic local government throughout the Commonwealth and to encourage the exchange of good practice in local government structures and services. The Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme was launched in 1998 to enable local government practitioners from across the Commonwealth to share experiences and good practice, and to pool resources by working together on practical projects to address poverty. CLGF has been actively involved in encouraging and developing local elections and systems, election monitoring, and capacity building support for councillors and councils.

During its pilot phase, the Good Practice Scheme, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) supported 30 technical co-operation projects between local authority partners in 14 different Commonwealth countries. Among them, the UK and South Africa have made significant advances in the area of decentralisation.

CLGF is also coordinating a programme of research and information dissemination focusing on local government reform and innovative practices in Commonwealth countries. The project draws on the expertise of CLGF members in different regions and is developing case studies on innovative practices in eight Commonwealth countries.

As the world increasingly moves towards decentralisation of powers in running the administration, there will be marked differences in the degree of decentralisation, but the overall trend is certainly towards devolution of administrative power. But the progress of decentralisation is often impeded by the reluctance of those in high places to shed the reins of power.

With its history of decentralisation and its inherent bias for public action, Kerala is well-placed to overcome such limitations. As such, the State is bound to benefit from its association with the CLGF.

The writer can be contacted at kg@tug.org.in

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