Citizen Participation and Local Democracy in Zimbabwean Local Government System

For the last twenty years, the concept of citizen participation and local democracy has largely been used in the local government discourse. These concepts are heavily related to the rights of citizens and democratic governance. Linking citizen participation to local government raises fundamental and normative questions about the nature of democracy and the skills and strategies for achieving it. This paper seeks to explore literature related to the dynamics and avenues of citizen participation and local democracy in Zimbabwean local government system. Factors which promote citizen participation and local democracy will be discussed including the issue of local government elections, participatory budget in local authorities, consultative forums, public hearings, existence of civil society organisations as well as the formal structures which exist within the local government institutions. Key Terms: Citizen participation, active participation, passive participation, local democracy and local government Conceptualization of key terms. I. Citizen participation Citizen participation is a desired and necessary part of community development and should be encompassed in any policy formulation process. According to the ACPD(2006) participation means taking part as an individual and as a community in decision making at each step of the development process. This entails that all citizens should be able to participate actively in the local democratic process for any development process to yield fruitful results.Lisk (1985) further defines participation as the involvement of the broad masses of population in the choice, execution and evacuation of programmes and projects that are designed to bring out significant upward movement in the living standards of people. He also observed that the concept of participation relates to the involvement of the broad mass of the population to influence decision making in favour of popular needs and aspirations.Makumbe (1996) also viewed beneficiary citizen participation as only being meaningful for the masses if they are effectively involved at the various levels of the development process. A classical example is that if the poor are engaged in policy planning together with local governments more pro active and efficient policies to address the concerns of the marginalised citizens can be identified. There are mainly two types of participation that is active and passive participation. Active and passive participation The United Nations publication as cited in Makumbe (1996) observed that active participation requires time to attend meetings, vote and inform oneself about issues. Active participation goes beyond mere choice making from predetermined alternatives. Passive participation largely pertains to such choice making and even manipulation of the masses by those who will have critical decisions in the first place. According to the United Nations(1967) if people are continuously expected to be passive recipients of government programs, policy and projects,they tend to shun participation and lose interests in the programmes which lead to failure and underdevelopment of local communities. Local Democracy All citizens should be able to participate actively in the local democratic process. According to Fung (2001:41) local democracy gives citizens the freedom to participate in making decisions that are locally appropriate and serve the needs of the local community. Local democracy simply means rule by the people, giving people a say in the decisions that affect their lives and access to resources that are theirs. The UNECA Executive secretary as cited in Makumbe (1996) observed that the democratisation of the development process, by which we mean the empowerment of the people, their involvement in decision making, in the implementation process is a “condition sine qua non” for socio-economic recovery and transformation. This simply means that the involvement of people in decision making results in the democratisation of the development process. Citizen Participation and Local Democracy in Zimbabwean Local Government System www.iosrjournals.org 88 | Page The parliamentary Assembly of Europe Resolution 1121 (1997) on instruments of citizen participation states that a truly living democracy depends on the active contribution of all citizens. Their participation in every aspect is thus a decisive factor for the smooth functioning of democratic institutions. The ACPD(2003) defined democracy more broadly as the full participation of all citizens in political ,economic, social and cultural decision making through appropriate laws ,policies institutions, processes and attitudes in a way which promotes equality, the growth of individuals and the well being of communities. Local democracy is basically about sharing power decisions and resources fairly. Local government Local government is a product of devolution as a dimension of decentralisation. Gomme (1987:1-2) defines local government as that part of the whole government of a nation or state which is administered by authorities subordinate to state authority, but elected independently of control by the state authority, by qualified persons resident or having property in certain localities which have been formed by communities having a common interest and common history. Meyer (1978:10) defines local government as local democratic governing unity within the unitary democratic system of a country, which are subordinate members of the government vested with prescribed, controlled governmental powers and sources of income to render specific local services and develop, control and regulate the geographic, social and economic environment of defined local area. One has to note that whilst local governments are actually not independent of central government control, they enjoy only relative autonomy due to the division of responsibilities for services between central and local government and it should be captured that the division of these responsibilities is a political or policy issue. According to Mawhood (1993:66) local government is the third tier or level of government deliberately created to bring government closer to the grassroots population and gives these grassroots structures give a sense of involvement in the political processes that control their daily lives. The existence of local government has always been defended on the basis that it is a crucial aspect of the process of democratisation and intensification of mass participation in the decision making process. It is furthermore argued that no political system is considered to be complete and democratic if it does not have a system of local government. There are several preconditions that determine successful relationship between central and local government as indicated by the World Bank (1989:88) and Heymans and Totemeyer (1988:6) which are: (a) The need and urge for a strong system of local government in a democratic political environment; (b) That local government be allowed to play a vital role as a full partner in regional and national development; (c) A fair division of financial resources between central, regional and local bodies; (d) A fair division of human resources between central and local government; (e) Formal and effective checks and balances between central and local government; (f) Full and adequate consultation and regular flow of accurate information at and between all level; (g) The full participation of each citizen ,irrespective of race and gender at all levels of administration and government thus ,the extension of democracy to all spheres of government; (h) Political and social harmony. Local government should be seen as the cornerstones in the structure of a democratic political system since it serves as a vehicle for intelligent and responsible citizenship. II. Literature Review If the Zimbabwean system of government is to function properly, citizens must actively participate in its operations at all levels, but especially in the local government system. Local officials have both a responsibility and a stake in keeping citizens fully informed about local programmes and activities and giving them clear opportunities to play meaningful roles in determining and implementing local public policy (Smith:1983). The history, tradition, development patterns of local government in Zimbabwe is based on a belief that a responsive and responsible citizenry will maintain a vigorous, informed and continous participation in the processes of local government. A basic principle, upon which the local government, with its broad home rule authority is constructed, is that local community values can be fostered and served(Oluwu:2006). Assuring meaningful participation by citizens in government at all levels in the face of complexity of contemporary society is one of the great challenges of African democracy. The individual citizen in the Zimbabwean local government system has numerous ways to influence policies and practices and they are given space to have a say in institutional issues. These are the avenues allowing for citizen participation in the local government system and encompasses the following aspects ; local government elections, local authorities participatory budgeting, consultative forums, public hearings, open meetings of councils and legislative bodies, joining associations like the Civil Society organisations as well as the development committees within local communities such as the Village Development committee(VIDCO),Ward Development Committee(WADCO), Rural District Development Citizen Participation and Local Democracy in Zimbabwean Local Government System www.iosrjournals.org 89 | Page Committee(RDDC),Provincial Development Committee(PDC).All local officials have a basic duty to assure that citizens have ways to participate actively and meaningfully in Local Government affairs and this fosters the aspect of democracy within the system. Local government electi