Don't cut Local Gov't
published: Friday | November 15, 2002
THE EDITOR, Sir:
Rumour is again rife that Central Government will reduce the size of Local Government to contain expenses. My understanding is that Local Government is not a department or branch of Central Government, but a fully autonomous body and is nowhere under the control of Central Government. True Local Government has always bent over backwards to allow Central Government to advise it in nearly every way. One cannot say that this has been very good for Local Government Reform and performance.
If, however the country is finding it difficult to sustain both Local and Central Government, one must look back at where the "horse is gone out of the gate."
My recollection is that before 1944, the first time I voted, there were 13 or 14 MLCs running the Central Government. Today, we have 60 Members of Parliament and members of the Senate and a host of 17 Ministers with their Permanent Secretaries and staff; you name it.
My opinion is that if our ability to bear these expenses is overstretched, Government should look at itself and apply the cutting there, not in Local Government.
