DOHA: Contestants trying their luck in the election to the fifth term of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) this May have no right to use infrastructure development work done in their constituencies as their poll plank, says an official.
Dr Mohamed Saif Al Kuwari (pictured), who heads a CMC poll panel at National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), said it is unethical on the part of election candidates to talk about development work done in their wards as their achievements.
“It amounts to cheating,” Al Kuwari told local Arabic daily Al Raya in comments published yesterday.
On women’s representation in the CMC, he said there should at least be eight women councillors but currently there is only one female member — Sheikha Al Jefairi from Old Airport Area.
“She is an intellectual, highly experienced and talented,” said Al Kuwari.
Al Kuwari was a CMC member in its first term (1999-2003) and is under-secretary at the Ministry of Environment, known for his expertise in GCC and Qatari standards and specifications.
Only five women have filed nomination for the election, which is not even five percent, whereas the number of women voters is in the thousands, he said.
Al Kuwari said his panel’s job is to raise awareness among voters about the election. “We have begun sending SMS-es to eligible voters.” As a second step, the panel will distribute pamphlets and brochures on electoral procedures.
In the third phase, “We will be giving TV and radio interviews”, he added.
Al Kuwari said the campaign would include talking about women’s political rights within the framework of Islam and the law.
The campaign pamphlets will also be in Brail script and the panel will visit Al Noor Institute for Blind and other institutions of people with special needs.
Al Kuwari said the CMC must be given some executive powers as its consultative status has left it as a public representative body in which people don’t show much interest. The first term of the CMC had many competent members because people were excited about the CMC as they thought its members would do a lot of development work.
However, the fact that the CMC can only make recommendations for development work and for works in sectors like health and education has left people unenthused over time.
That is the reason why after the first term not many CMC members have been competent and efficient, he said.
Helping relatives get jobs should not be the aim of CMC members, Al Kuwari said sarcastically.
People should not vote on tribal considerations. They must vote based on a candidate’s merits and only then can one hope to see the CMC as a competent body, he added.The Peninsula
