Local Governance Mapping the STATE of LOCAL GOVERNANCE: TRENDS in MAGWAY Photo Credits
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Local Governance Mapping THE STATE OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE: TRENDS IN MAGWAY Photo credits Paul van Hoof Emilie Röell Myanmar Survey Research The views expressed in this publication are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of UNDP. Local Governance Mapping THE STATE OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE: TRENDS IN MAGWAY UNDP MYANMAR Table of Contents Acknowledgements II Acronyms III Executive Summary 1 1. Introduction 9 2. Methodology 12 2.1 Objectives 13 2.2 Research tools 13 3. Introduction to Magway region and participating townships 16 3.1 General situation and geography 17 3.2 Socio-economic background 18 3.3 Demographic profile 20 3.4 Magway region historical context 20 3.5 Magway government and institutions 23 3.6 Introduction to the three townships participating in the study 27 4. Governance at the frontline: Participation in planning, responsiveness for local service provision and accountability 32 4.1 Recent developments in Magway region from a citizen’s perspective 33 4.1.1 Citizens’ views on improvements in their village tract or ward 33 4.1.2 Citizens’ views on challenges in their village tract or ward 34 4.1.3 Perceptions on safety and security in Magway Region 37 4.2 Development planning and citizen participation 40 4.2.1 Planning, implementation and monitoring of development fund projects 42 4.2.2 Participation of citizens in decision-making regarding the utilization of the development funds 46 4.3 Access to services 52 4.3.1 Basic healthcare service 55 4.3.2 Primary education 68 4.3.3 Drinking water 79 4.4 Information, transparency and accountability 89 4.4.1 Aspects of institutional and social accountability 89 4.4.2 Transparency and access to information 97 4.4.3 Civil society’s role in enhancing transparency and accountability 102 5. Conclusions 104 6. Annexes 110 Annex 1: Citizen report card interviews 111 Annex 2: Community action plans 113 Annex 3: Composition of management, support and coordinating and committees in the three townships in Magway region 116 3.1 Management committees 116 3.2 Coordination committees 117 3.3 Support committees 118 The State of Local Governance: Trends in Magway - UNDP Myanmar 2015 I Acknowledgements UNDP would like to thank the Region Government and the people of Magway Region for their unrestricted support and participation in the process of local governance mapping and information gathering. The local governance mapping in Magway Region would not have been possible without the cooperation and the strategic direction of the General Administration Department, Ministry of Home Affairs. This report was developed under the leadership and guidance of Christian Hainzl, Team Leader, Local Governance/Local Development, UNDP Myanmar. Several individuals and organizations have made contributions in the production of this report. Paul J. M. van Hoof led the analysis of the empirical data, undertook township-level research and drafted the report. He was assisted during the fieldwork by U Saw Ler Wah. The community-level research and data analysis was undertaken by Myanmar Survey Research (MSR). Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) has been very helpful in production of the data maps for the report. The report has benefited from the substantive contributions of Anki Dellnas, Mithulina Chatterjee and Marcus Brand. Special thanks to Aye Lwin and Khin Kyaw for their technical contribution to the Local Governance Mapping. The Local Governance Mapping being undertaken as part of UNDP Myanmar’s Local Governance/Local Development Programme is funded by the Government of Japan, Government of Sweden, DANIDA and UNDP. II The State of Local Governance: Trends in Magway - UNDP Myanmar 2015 Acronyms CD Community Dialogue CDF Constituency Development Fund CRC Citizen Report Card CSO Civil Society Organisation DMA Department of Municipal Affairs DoE Department of Education DoH Department of Health DoP Department of Planning DRD Department of Rural Development DTA Deputy Township Administrator GAD General Administration Department HoD Head of Department INGO International Non-Governmental Organisation LGM Local Governance Mapping MoHA Ministry of Home Affairs MoLFRD Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development MoNPED Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development MDRI-CESD Myanmar Development Resources Institute-Centre for Economic and Social Development MSR Myanmar Survey Research NGO Non-Governmental Organisation MoAI Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation MoE Ministry of Education MoH Ministry of Health PTA Parent-Teacher Association PRF Poverty Reduction Fund RDF Rural Development Fund RHC Rural Health Centre SLRD Settlements and Land Records Department SRHC Sub-Rural Health Centre TA Township Administrator TMAC Township Municipal Affairs Committee TDSC Township Development Support Committee TEO Township Education Officer TFMC Township Farmland Management Committee TMC Township Management Committee TMO Township Medical Officer TPIC Township Planning and Implementation Committee TPO Township Planning Officer UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund VHC Village Health Committee VT Village Tract VTA Village Tract Administrator VTA/WA Village Tract or Ward Administrator VTA/WDSC Village Tract or Ward Development Support Committee WA Ward Administrator The State of Local Governance: Trends in Magway - UNDP Myanmar 2015 III Executive Summary This report outlines the results of the Local Governance Mapping conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Magway Region in November-December 2014. It attempts to examine the state of local governance in Magway Region. The findings show while many aspects of township management, planning and participation are very similar to other States and Regions in Myanmar, in particular the neighbouring Regions of the Dry Zone, Magway also features a number of governance arrangements and innovations that are unique to the Region. Based on the perceptions of the people and of local governance actors like government officials, committee members and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the mapping has captured some key aspects of the current dynamics of governance at the frontline of state- citizen interaction including participation in public sector planning, access to basic social services and transparency and accountability in local governance. In consultation with the Magway Region government, the Local Governance Mapping was conducted in the townships of Pakokku, Gangaw and Mindon, which together can be considered representative for the different geographic and socio-economic areas of the Region. Magway Region Magway Region is one of the core regions of Myanmar, hosting about seven percent of its population. Its economy is dominated by agriculture but also petroleum production and other extractive industries. Magway Region has not been affected by armed conflict, ethnic tension or major natural disaster in recent years. State authority has not been challenged in the same manner as in other States and Regions resulting in relative stability and well- functioning state institutions. These prevailing conditions allowed the governance reform programme implemented by the Government of Myanmar since 2011 to be executed expediently in Magway Region. Magway Region’s social development indicators such as poverty, education and immunization, safe drinking water and sanitation are comparable to the national averages. It should be noted however that there is considerable variation within the Region, as some parts of Magway do much better than others, with the more remote rural villages lagging behind substantially. 288 people were interviewed as part of this mapping. The feedback from Magway Region residents showed that people feel safer than in other States and Regions, with 99 percent of the respondents stating that safety and security were not a concern for them. This was the highest recorded score of all States and Regions included under mapping. The freedom of expression and the confidence to speak openly about government and associated issues is an important crosscutting issue providing a context for governance reforms, but also putting the mapping itself into a broader perspective. The mapping found out that more than one-third of the citizens (39 percent) felt free to say whatever they wanted about government, while more than half of the respondents (57 percent) felt in some way restricted to express themselves freely, being anxious of the possible consequences this might have. The State of Local Governance: Trends in Magway - UNDP Myanmar 2015 1 While these figures indicate a high level of respect of state authority and a dominant role for the state in public life, respondents in Magway also appeared to appreciate the improvements made by the government in terms of better services. Improvements in roads were noted most often, by 56 percent of the respondents, followed by improvements in education (43 percent) and improved access to electricity (19 percent) and drinking water (18 percent), although significant differences were observed between the three townships and specific local communities. Overall, only 7 percent of the respondents mentioned that government had not made any major improvements over the last three years in their village tract or ward. This indicates that the combined government institutions in Magway are either performing better, that the development activities are more visible or that they inform citizens better about the programmes they implement. The picture about