Decentralization in the Municipality of Riyadh - Case Study Example

Decentralization in the Municipality of Riyadh Introduction Each and every state across the world has its own administrative structure owing to the widespread conditions pertaining to the different political, social, and economic development activities of their respective countries. The management environment, whether it is present in the local government, or the district administration in the US, or United Arab Emirates, largely influences the methods used in applying the administrative and local governance mechanism per each jurisdiction. In this particular paper I will be highlighting decentralization in the Municipality of Riyadh together with its social and economic impact. Riyadh like other capital cities is experiencing unprecedented growth due to different economic activities coming from various sectors of the economy like; communication, transport, trade, and construction among others. This particular growth is attributed to human migration from less attractive places in the world to this city in search of greener pasture (AUDI, 1983, p.93). It is due to this background that the Riyadh secretariat was challenged to devise a long term measure that would eventually curb the menace arising from increasing population growth. The secretariat then decided to launch the Riyadh Municipality that would assist various state agencies to implement their development plans at the grass root level. Some of these development initiatives entailed establishing; diplomatic quarters, government palace, King Khaled international airport, Real estate development fund, water and sanitation among others whereby these projects co-operate hand in hand with the Maonmanp to raise their capital (UCLG, 2008, p.207; US.FBIS, p.93). Functions of the administrative secretariat of the city of Riyadh Establishing the supreme body which is mandated with the development of the city of Riyadh in 1394 AH (1974 AD) and the formation of the council in 1395 AH (1975 AD) which was under the chairmanship of Governor of Riyadh, he had a deputy, and a secretary. There are also ex-officio members who are mandated with policy making, approval of development plans, and also co-ordinates the development activities. It has entrusted the municipal system in Riyadh with the responsibility of works in the city such as repairing and beautification, maintaining health and comfort, public safety, and taking any other necessary measures in order to have more efficient functions within the city. Exercising the secretary- The Riyadh implementation authority in collaboration with the Secretariat and in accordance with the powers derived from the decentralized system, understands that the secretary is the first reference point in matters pertaining to management, rules, regulations, and rights in making decisions and guidelines pertaining to the entire municipality. Organizational Structure of the secretariat of the city of Riyadh and decentralizations Structure The secretariat is structured in such a way that one person who happens to be the head enjoys immense powers which are also devolved using the top to bottom approach according to specialization. Some of the key personnel are: Secretary of projects and reconstruction: They are in charge of the departments of city and urban planning and engineering services which oversees building permits, engineering projects, open space, maintenance and operations (Robert, 1878, p.75). General Manager financial and administrative affairs: They are mainly responsible for the different departments such as personnel, finance, warehousing, property, and other advisory bodies. Director General of Land and Property: They are responsible for matters pertaining to land and title deed, property of the secretariat, and property inspection among others. Department of Agriculture, gardens and landscaping: They are mainly responsible for sprawling the city, afforestation of the city’s streets, parks, and play grounds. Stages in the Establishment of Municipal Decentralization and sub-regional and Geography Establishing subsidiary municipalities has been the most notable achievement of decentralizations because duties and responsibilities have been evenly distributed whereby these subsidiary municipalities have certain level of authority within their borders whereby they operate under certain level of supervision and coordination (UNDESA, 2004, p.9). Establishment of municipal sub-stages Up until 1977 AD Riyadh had six areas under the municipality mainly to distribute work, but these areas did not show any impact due to a number of reasons such as; lack of professional staff and limited capabilities among others. This led to an over reliance on the organs of the central secretariat. The city then expanded horizontally and evolved extremely rapidly with rates soaring. This doubled the burden of the Secretariat because there were numerous projects across the city that significantly increased the budget allocations for the city. This particular scenario forced the secretariat to innovate new measures in order to counter the situation. The secretariat embarked on regional decentralization in 1977 AD, which divided Riyadh into ten sub municipalities. These subsidiary municipalities also represent Riyadh Secretariat in their respective regions and assist in providing services at the grass root level to citizens while also saving on their time. Also due to the construction activities that have plagued Riyadh as a result of economic development and subsequently weighing the burden on the subsidiary municipalities overseeing those respective areas, four new sub municipalities have been created, and an additional two new sub-municipalities have also been developed in the outskirts of the city under the supervision of the secretariat. This in total gives sixteen sub municipalities. These municipality subsidiaries are now a perfect application of decentralization due to their overwhelming success. However, they are not independent units but rather branches of the Secretariat whereby these sub municipalities completely operate under the supervision of the main Secretariat. Positive aspects of Decentralization in the sub-municipalities By establishing sub-municipalities, attention of officials together with the trust of the citizens has been won and this particular decentralization program has now been replicated in other cities such as Makkah, Jeddah, and Taif among others. When it comes to policy making, planning and coordination, a standing committee is held periodically every month under the Chairmanship of the Secretary which is attended by all parties such as the head of secretariat and municipal sub-committees. Here issues such as traffic, electricity, water & sanitation, telephone and civil defense are discussed whenever there is need and directions given appropriately whenever necessary. When it comes to coordination, the head of municipal subs coordinate work of various branches and also clear the channels of communication while setting the tone and straightening the path of implementation and encouraging diligence in areas of implementation according to the framework set. These meetings have been very successful whereby different units such as water & sanitation, telephone, electricity, and other key government departments have achieved a common goal that has in return improved on the overall rating of Riyadh that has in return made it qualify as Saudi Arabia capital. People and organizations are now benefiting from prudential management of facilities which offer municipal services because services are now closer to them. Municipalities can now experience issuance of building permits at their level without reference to the secretariat. Decentralization has been able to attract citizens to new regions in order to sort out their problems because municipal services are well managed whereby these include controlling building and construction activities, and public health and hygiene among others. Tasks Assigned to Municipality Sub-committees Initiating decisions and controlling construction licenses This has led towards providing more time for the auditors and also simplifying procedures for them. In return the cities have become less crowded because services are decentralized to the grassroots levels. Issuing certification of completion to any construction activities To ensure that the personnel cooperate and coordinate to provide city services and at the same time establish regulations and instructions for the sake of the citizens. It has therefore been agreed that the secretariat in collaboration with the water, sanitation and electricity company should not deliver or install water and electricity for any new building owner until a certificate from the municipality has been issued stating that the relevant sub-set construction activities did not violate any provision and they are in accordance with the law (Al-Nuaim, 2001, p.5). Controlling cleanliness This is done in collaboration with the department of public works whereby each municipality subsidiary is mandated to monitor the cleaning and coordination activities and provide regular feedback to the work progress. Maintenance of Asphalt Sub municipals should cooperate with the relevant bodies under secretariat maintenance and asphalt surfacing and also play their role in identifying and locating the need for implementation. General services and health issues Public and environmental observers and assignees in collaboration with veterinarian should monitor all shops and in particular places of food and issue penalties to any violation of the terms of public health and people’s safety. Assist during rains and floods The different subsidiaries should assist in confronting dangers arising as a result of rain and floods by assisting citizens to move quickly Develop project and prepare project budgets They should ensure that project proposals are timely submitted in order to initiate projects which are necessary for a specific municipal area. Distribution of land to people with limited income This is done in collaboration with the secretariat and it mainly involves preserving land as an implementation of objectives and sound policies of proper governance. Decentralization Secretariat in Riyadh a Model of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Decentralization of major cities such as Riyadh is no longer an experiment but rather a necessity in order to experience proper functioning and regulation of government services in order to bring improved services closer to the citizens. The secretariat in Riyadh clearly understands this and with a vision of implementing various services within the municipality, it has managed to come up with a method of administration and management which is more or less the same as the one used in science and modern techniques. In the city of Riyadh there are two forms of decentralization; working together with the central agencies, and their subsidiaries. Decentralization of Elbow: Here states are identified and facilities operate independently whereby they are injected with legal personalities with independence of working and budgeting on their own to promote the affairs of their subsidiary free from the chuckles of routing procedures. Decentralized regions; These represent the secretariat of the city of Riyadh as an independent municipality with its own budget and function in the exercise of Municipal affairs on a patch of the homeland are the limits of the city together with its geographical scope (UCLG, 2009, p.220). The secretariat through decentralization in the capital has expanded and managed to maintain very high rates in the city together with its suburbs of 16 municipalities. This devolution structure has been overwhelmingly successful in the implementation of development activities, while providing shrewd administration and management that are required to properly serve the citizens. This success has been replicated in other large municipalities in Saudi Arabia. Conclusion Decentralization if properly applied has the potential of transforming a third world city in such a way that it can match the service delivery of cities existing in the developed economies. This is so because services and functions are going to be decentralized whereby service delivery will be significantly improved upon with enhanced efficiency. For instance, with the subsidiary municipalities in Riyadh, it is easy for the secretariat to exactly know the needs of the citizens because they are closer to them. Also due to the supervisory role of the supreme authority and inhabitants of the same neighborhood, it is easy to know what is happening on the ground and what the future prospects are. This eventually makes a devolution structure a win win situation for both the citizens and the government. References Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Nuaim, 2001, Management of cities and municipalities, Accessed 22nd April 2011 http://ww2.unhabitat.org/programmes/ifup/conf/AbdullahAl-AliAlNuaim.PDF Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI), 1983, Riyadh, the city of the future Robert Dickson Crane, 1978, planning the future of Saudi Arabia: A model for achieving national priorities, Praeger publishers. United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), 2008, Decentralization and local democracy in the world: first global report by United Cities and Local Governments, World Bank Publications. United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), 2009, Decentralization and local democracy in the world: first global report by United Cities and Local governments, World Bank publications. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), 2004, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Public administration Country profile, Accessed 2April 2011 http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan023182.pdf United States. Foreign Broadcast Information Service (US. FBIS), Near East/South Asia report, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Issue 84172. Read More