Editor's Notes
| Published date | 01 January 1968 |
| Date | 01 January 1968 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1968.tb00316.x |
Editor's Notes
SINCE
the late Lord Hewart's New Despotism focussed attention on the
authoritarian powers vested in Whitehall, both in Britain and elsewhere, the
need has been voiced by many for a "body" to whom the citizen can lay
complaints about actions by the executives of the State, experience seemingly
showing as inadequate the facilities provided by courts and tribunals, or by
Parliament itself, already existing under a Western democratic system of
government. Scandinavia led the way, Denmark introduced the World to
the Ombudsman, most recently of all Britain appointed her first Parlia-
mentary Commissioner - in 1967, five years after New Zealand had ex-
perienced the value of such an office-holder.
We are therefore particularly glad to be able to publish in this issue an
article by Sir Guy Powles, New Zealand's first Ombudsman. He describes
how, in four and a half years, his
Office
has received some 3,250 complaints
and found 8 per cent. to be justified,a proportion that would seem both to
justify the
office
and to vindicate the executive. Of particular interest are
the special powers with which he has been accorded under the New Zealand
law; to address the Prime Minister directly, and Parliament; to report not
only on wrongs under the law as it stands, but on the law itself where its
operation, so he considers, results in injustice - hence the power to stir early
Parliamentary action to revise or repeal outmoded legislation which in many
lands would probably remain on the statute book for many a decade,
if
not
perhaps for centuries.
In recent numbers we have been paying particular attention to the Indian
system of local government known as Panchayati Raj. We now publish
what may, perhaps, best be described as a critique of the system from an
American source - critical though Dr. Alexander may be, he believes beyond
doubt that the Indian villagers must be brought fully into participation in
local government and that a considerable responsibility rests on central
government to ensure that this is achieved. In our next issue from an
Indian source we will include a case study on Pressure Politics in a Panchayat
which illustrates how a little determination and patience can overcomevested
and conservative interests to bring progress to a village community.
In the field of development administration we continue in this Number
with an article by the Economic Adviser to the Territory of Papua and New
Guinea. Seeking to learn from the experience
of
other developing countries
and to plan realistically for the future, this distant developing Pacifiic land
which has attracted two recent World Bank Missions, seems to offer reason-
able hope of steady economic growth, backed by considerable Australian
financial assistance - as Mr. McCasker points out much will depend on
whether the existing indigenous restraint towards higher wages and expensive
social infrastructure can be maintained.
Mr. Richardson has now retired from the Institute of Administration at .
Zaria, Northern Nigeria and he provides us with a valedictory review
of
his
notable tenure of
office
there; Zaria set the pace for local training in public
administration in anglo-phone Africa and Mr. Richardson's assessment of
B
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