Sir: The protests in front of the house of a local Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in Faisalabad by people demanding provision of gas to their homes tells us that on a local level, many issues of governance related to the VIP mentality and abuses of power by the powerful remain the same as they always were. The protestors were residents of the community where the MNA lives and reports say they pelted his house with stones and stayed outside for hours after news emerged that, unlike them, he might have access to some gas supply in his home. People were also angry because they say the MNA had done nothing for them over the last year. There are still solutions to these problems. The first is local government elections, which will allow people to vent their concerns on a democratic forum. The second is for the government to take a similarly proactive top-down approach and make sure that MNAs and representatives actually work for the benefit of their constituencies. While the federal government appears to be more responsive, on a local and constituency level matters remain unchanged. This situation is not sustainable and if the government wants to meet its political challenges it must reform this cultureARIF AHMADIslamabad