Local governance and grassroots participation are the fundamental building blocks for democracy- Wright

The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, Mr. Carl Wright has said that Local Governance and grassroots participation in the democratic process are the fundamental building blocks for democracy.

Mr. Wright said this officiating the inauguration of the ‘Institute of Local Governance and Development’ held at Dharubaaruge last night.

In his inauguration speech, Mr. Wright shared some thoughts on the importance of Local Government Decentralisation in the Commonwealth with special reflection on what is being achieved in the Maldives, mainly since February local government elections.

Mr. Wright said that the new democratic dispensation in Maldives is particularly relevant at a time the people of North Africa and the Middle East are struggling for fundamental democratic freedom and for better governance. He said that Maldives having shown the way, the people and the government of Maldives have demonstrated that democratic transition can be achieved without major trauma, massive social upheaval or major bloodshed.

“Although, Of course, I am aware and I appreciate that it was not achieved without some struggle and personal sacrifices,” he said.

Mr. Wright said that the February local government elections were historic and they were witnessed by a Commonwealth assessment team. He noted that the report of the team has been submitted to the government and it provides a strong and clean endorsement for what has been deemed to be a very smooth process. He added that the report also commended the Elections Commissions for the effective job they carried out in its mandate.

Furthermore, he said that all Commonwealth member states share core democratic values and standards and agree conform to the Aberdeen Principles, which states that effective, elected local government is an important foundation for democracy.

Mr. Wright highlighted that these Commonwealth principles on good practice for local democracy and good governance will underscore that Citizens should be able to elect their local representatives in conditions of political freedom and will ensure that local government should be accountable to the community it serves while operating within the legal and policy framework of other spheres of government. He also said that local government must have adequate financial resources to fulfil its mandate and ensure significant autonomy in resource allocation.

Moreover, concluding his speech, Mr. Wright expressed his gratitude to the initiator and benefactor of the Institute of Local Governance and Development, Mr. Mohamed Waheed Deen, He said that he sees that Mr. Waheed Deen is the founding father of Local Democracy in the Maldives.