MADINA: With voter registration for the municipal council elections to begin later this month, both the Madina public and council itself are taking stock to review what has been achieved in the six years and in the 91 meetings since the last elections. The public has continually voiced its dismay at the work of councils, both directly to officials and indirectly through the media, with one of the most frequently-voiced concerns being slow or suspended infrastructure works. Madina council chairman Salah Al-Raddadi, who does not intend to stand for reelection, admits that achievements have been “below the expectations the elected members drew up”, saying that “certain hindrances meant that only around 30 percent of targets have been met”. “There have been a lot of positives, however,” he said. “Lots have been seen by way of improvements in a number of services.” In the face of criticism from the public for perceived failures in the provision of services to residential districts and securing project allocations in the mayoralty's budget, Al-Raddadi said that Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs reports show the Madina municipal council to be “one of the best in carrying out decisions”. “The Council has had a considerable role in ensuring road surfacing, public gardens and allowing the addition of upper-floors to residential buildings. It is currently working for a change in building law, and a meeting was held only recently with the minister on that issue.” According to the council chairman, election campaign promises made by candidates are, once they are voted in, heard by the council as a whole in its first meeting and put onto the council's agenda with the aim of carrying them out. “Some factors may prevent them from being implemented,” he said. “The ideas may not have been fully or clearly formulated in the first place, for example, or by-laws may have prevented proper monitoring of progress in infrastructure works. In general, I think I can say that municipal councils have been a success in creating a cultural movement in the model of municipal work, and has monitored municipalities and taken on a considerable role in changing some policies at mayoralties and municipalities.” He said that many ideas put forward by the public on the Madina Council website had been taken up. Committee meetings are also held with members of the public to enable them to voice their concerns directly to councilors. “We have held over 40 such meetings, and we have also made some 80 visits through council members and other committees to exchange experience and hold serious dialogue,” he said. “Many of the views presented have become working papers and eventually tangible projects on the ground.” Concerns typically address unplanned residential districts, the issuing of property deeds and grants, compensation for property requisitioned for development works, and the perennial sticking point of uncompleted public works. The problem, Al-Raddadi said, was “not limited to Madina” “It's a nationwide problem, and we discussed it in the meeting with the minister. There are construction works that move slowly, some extremely slowly, and some simply don't get finished. We now have a relevant committee that provides continual updates on work progress.”
