Role of media in success of devolution plan highlighted
KARACHI- The print and electronic media can play a vital and decisive rule in making the devolution plan, which is aimed at empowering the common people and imparting a sense of participation in the decision making process to the people, a success.
The emergence of the city district government is the first concrete step towards establishing good governance and real democracy in the country. Now the responsibility falls on the media and the people to highlight its performance and work for its success. This was concluded in a seminar on “Media Coverage of District Government” held by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF).
Assistant Professor at the Mass Communication Department University of Karachi, Inam Bari, while analyzing the role of media pointed out that the print media has so far played a constructive role in bringing about a major pleasant change in the old administrative system of the city. He analyzed that some sections of the print media gave a very extensive coverage to the city government and its related affairs but remained critical. We should be careful in projecting any image of the system because of the fact that healthy criticism is imperative for indicating the loopholes of the system and strengthening it but excessive and unreasonable criticism may defeat all the efforts, he stated.
He further asserted that the long awaited change has been brought about and the decades old colonial administrative system has been replaced by the true representatives of the city. This grassroots level change would certainly prove to be very effective in solving improvement in the functioning of the city administration he added.
Inam Bari criticized the Urdu newspapers for not giving an appropriate coverage to the city government and attributed their overemphasis on statement journalism for this anomaly.
He emphasised the need of laying importance on development journalism and investigative reporting and explained the role of electronic media in making and influencing the public opinion.
The Director Training and Research of the City government, Farzana Shehnaz explained the philosophy of the devolution plan and said that in view of providing an easy access to the governmental hierarchy and to remove the grievances of the masses. The power has been delegated to the lowest tier of the government. Now under the plan the elected representatives of the people, who are more close to them and understand their problems, wield the power and can exercise it.
As being accessible and close to the people, this elected leadership is accountable to them. This accountability, in its turn, would bring transparency in the discharging of their official responsibilities, she added.
Elaborating the philosophy of the devolution plan she said that the federal system of the government has failed to deliver and the devolution plan has been chalked out to include the common people in the affairs of the state and to establish good governance and real democracy through their active participation and coordination.
The Bureau Chief of Pakistan Press International (PPI), Naseer Aijaz, and Editor in Chief PPI Fazal Qureshi also spoke on the occasion.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:9/20/2001
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