Local Government in Tanzania Part II*
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1967.tb00298.x |
| Published date | 01 July 1967 |
| Date | 01 July 1967 |
| Author | Stanley Dryden |
Local Government in Tanzania
Part
11*
by
STANLEY
DRYDEN
Mr.
Dryden
is on the staffof the
Institute
of Public Administration at the University
College,
Dar
es Salaam, Tanzania.!
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VILLAGE COMhUTTEES
THE decision to abolish representative committees at divisional level was,
in certain respects, a momentous one. It was not only acomplete break with
tradition; it was also an indication of central government's determination to
make organizational adjustments for the sake of efficiency even
if
it meant
sacrificing a degree of democratic consultation in the process.
It
is true that
the infant divisional committees, like the chiefdom councils of old, had
largely advisory functions. Any committee resolutions or proposals which
touched upon general matters of policy or which involved executive action
not already sanctioned by the district council were invariably subject to
approval by the council. But in the vast rural areas over which many district
councils have jurisdiction these subordinate committees provided a convenient
forum for the discussion of both localand central government matters of all
kinds.
They
were vehicles for the transmission of policy and programmes
from central institutions to the rural population at large. Being relatively
few in number their meetings could be easily attended by senior officers of
both central and local government. In addition, they provided local people
with an additional means of making their views known to the district council.
The
triumph of the elective principle in local government did, of course,
mean that constituents already had a voice in district council affairs through
their elected representatives. But the latter, apart from being inexperienced
and uncertain of their role, were left with no organised means of maintaining
effective and continuous contact with their constituents.
The
divisional
committee was a method of ensuring that councillors, as well as officials,
could establish regular communication with large sections of the electorate
in an area convenient for purposes of administration and consultation.
The
priorities accorded to local development led to the abolition of the
divisional committees. Yet divisional committees were intended to form a
part of the general consultative process to meet the special needs
of
local
government in Tanganyika.
The
vast distances over which many district
councils exercise jurisdiction make it difficult, if not impossible, to establish
a strong rapport between the central council and local constituents.
The
idea of loyalty to and pride in a rural local council because it forms a vital
part of community life has not yet taken root for a number
of
reasons, not the
least of which is the remoteness of the decision-making process from the
•
Part
I of this article which was published in the JOllma/
of
Administration Overseas
of
April, 1967,
ended
with the decision in
September
1963 to abolish the
rural
div-
isional committees.
!
The
article is concerned solely
with
local government in
the
mainland
of
the
United
Republic of
Tanzania,
i.e. in
that
part
known as Tanganyika.
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