Khellawan Lall cleared to order mayoral elections

Jan 04, 2009 News

…Govt. must be pressured to stop creeping dictatorship – city mayor

Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green says that the Government must be pressured into stopping its creeping dictatorship. He was reacting to a notice in the media that stated that the Minister of Local Government, Khellawan Lall, is seeking to have elections for Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.

According to Green, the decision to hold elections within the Georgetown Municipality will be dependent on the Councillors. He lamented the Government’s passing “this strange bit of legislation” without any consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

According to the notice, the public is notified that due to unavoidable delays in holding Local Government elections, that are urgently needed, the Parliament of Guyana has authorised the holding of internal elections within each local democratic organ, for Mayor and Deputy Mayor and Chairman and Deputy Chairman, subject to an Order to that effect being issued by the Minister of Local Government.

It added, therefore, that pending the holding of Local Government elections, the minister solicits from each Local Government organ: City Council, Town Council and Neighbourhood Democratic Council, a resolution of the relevant Council, seeking as that Council may desire, the approval of the Minister to proceed to hold internal elections for the positions of Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Chairman and Deputy Chairman of that Council.

This is in keeping with the provisions of the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Act, 2008.

Green said that the legislation that was forced through the National Assembly was aimed at politically manipulating the municipalities.

He added that the Government was intent on not having the mayor who oppose their ideology afforded any more clout.

According to Green, what the Government should focus on was working assiduously to complete the Local Government reforms.

Despite staunch opposition and attempts to amend a proposed amendment to the Local Authorities (Election) Amendment Bill, the Government, with its Parliamentary majority, prevailed 29 to 22 during the final session of the National Assembly in 2008 to allow the Minister of Local Government, Khellawan Lall, to order the holding of elections for Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Municipal Chairman or Deputy Chairman at any time.

The amendment was tabled after the session began, thus creating a breach of the National Assembly’s Standing Orders, but was allowed through the indulgence of Speaker Ralph Ramkarran after Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Robert Corbin, was assured that he would be able to propose amendments to the amendment.

After failing to achieve his (Corbin’s) goal, a division of the House was called twice, with everyone present voting except former Attorney General Bernard De Santos, who abstained from voting both times a division was called.

The amendment to the proposed Bill reads: “The Minister may, on request of a local democratic organ or on his instructions, authorise the holding of elections at any time for a Mayor, Deputy Mayor, or a Chairman or a Deputy Chairman of a local democratic organ.”

Corbin unsuccessfully sought to have the role of the minister deleted from the amendment, calling it ministerial dictatorship over the Local Government organs.

According to Corbin, there were already provisions in the law that cater for annual elections; but, according to Lall, at times there would be no quorum for an election to be made possible.

According to Khemraj Ramjattan, Chairman of the Alliance For Change, the Amendment to have the minister instruct the holding of elections was very suspicious, especially at “this late hour, after 12 years of deferring Local Government Elections.”

He questioned what the defect was in the existing laws necessitating that authority to be vested in the minister. “Why is it that the minister wants to get involved, if he says that he wants to see elections as early as possible?”

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Khellawan Lall cleared to order mayoral elections

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