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My absence will not stymie process – Alexander
Vincent Alexander
Vincent Alexander, who recently resigned as co-chairperson of the Local Government Taskforce, which was set up to pave the way for the next Local Government Elections, says that his absence will not stymie the process given that he is confident that his colleague Basil Williams will step up to the plate.
During a media briefing on Friday last, Alexander announced his formal resignation from the taskforce for which he said he was acting as a technocrat for the PNCR, given that his membership with that party has long elapsed and he was no longer a member.
The Local Government Task Force recommenced working recently, several months after the task force was suspended in order for Clinton Collymore, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s lead representative, to participate in that Party’s congress.
The PNCR had accused the Government of attempting to arbitrarily abandon the work of the Task Force on Local Government Reform, thus putting Local Government Elections further in jeopardy.
This was reiterated by Alexander when he announced his resignation, saying that the government was doing all that it could to obstruct progress.
During a recent press briefing, PNCR Leader Robert Corbin had said that he had received a memorandum from the co-chairman of the task force, Collymore, suggesting that there was a deadlock in talks and that the remaining tasks were being transferred to Cabinet.
Collymore wrote the memorandum to President Bharrat Jagdeo and copied it to Corbin. However, the PNCR representatives on the task force, including co-chairman Vincent Alexander, disputed Collymore’s assertion.
“Work was ongoing, there was no deadlock,” Alexander claimed.
President Bharrat Jagdeo subsequently ordered the recommencement of the task force meetings.
On August 25 last, Williams, also a member of the task force representing the PNCR, wrote Collymore to “register a serious protest against the dilatory practices of the Government side of the Task Force, which have crippled its work.”
According to the PNCR, the only piece of legislation that was completely discussed and generally agreed upon was the proposed legislation on the new electoral system. The task force is yet to complete its discussion on three areas, namely the establishment of a Local Government Commission, objective criteria for fiscal transfers, and the necessary continuous education on the new local government system.
“It should be noted that it was also a decision of the task force, a position endorsed by all stakeholders, including the donor community, that all the reforms to the local government system must be taken as a package.
“Consequently, nothing is agreed until the entire draft of legislation is considered and consensus (is) reached,” according to Corbin.
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