Jagdeo yet to assent to new Local Gov’t legislation

Sep 08, 2009 News

– Surujbally says crucial to holding Local Government elections

Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Dr Steve Surujbally, has expressed concern that President Bharrat Jagdeo is yet to assent to new legislation which directly addresses local government elections.

In a statement yesterday, GECOM said the concern of Dr Surujbally was expressed to Minister of Local Government, Kellawan Lall, last Friday.

“Dr Surujbally brought to the Minister’s attention, as a matter of concern, the fact that President Bharrat Jagdeo has yet to assent to the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2009, which had been approved by the National Assembly,” GECOM stated.

According to the Commission, Dr Surujbally noted that the law was essential to the holding of the Local Government elections.

GECOM quoted Minister Lall as saying that this matter was currently being dealt with by the Attorney General’s Chambers, and would be concluded in a manner that would not interfere with GECOM’s timetable for the conduct of Local Government Elections.

The statement comes on the heels of stinging accusations by Surujbally that President Jagdeo is making false statements as it relates to the delay in holding Local Government elections.

GECOM has faced heavy criticism from the President for not being able to pull off the polls, which has faced constant delays.

The Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2009 was passed by Parliament on July 30, setting out the legal framework for the holding of Local Government elections under a reformed Local Government electoral system.

Opposition Parliamentary parties have expressed disagreement with the Parliamentary procedures that were followed when the Bill was passed.

Another matter in which Dr Surujbally has stressed the need for timeliness is in the reduction of the number of seats in some Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs).

It was for this specific meeting that Surujbally, his Commissioners and a team of senior personnel met with Minister Lall last Friday.

According to GECOM, there is a fundamental need for the number of seats for NDCs, which are geographically small and/or under-populated to be reduced before he (the Minister) makes any Order pertaining to the delimitation of constituencies.

This meeting was a follow-up to a previous one between GECOM and Lall, at which the Commission had undertaken to put together a proposal “for the reduction of the existing number of seats for NDCs which are geographically small and/or under-populated, and with suggestions for the number of seats respectively for consideration by the Minister.”

Prior to this meeting, GECOM had sent to Minister Lall, for his consideration, a comprehensive document containing the recommendations of the Commission in this regard. In preparing the document, GECOM’s senior technical staff had conducted in-depth analyses of the physical stricture of all of the NDCs in Guyana, GECOM stated.

An examination of population densities within the respective NDCs revealed that there are several areas of concern which need to be addressed to allow for effective representation at the community levels. Consequently, GECOM has recommended that the number of seats in seven NDCs be reduced to allow for adequate delimitation of constituencies in a manner that will facilitate effective representation.

According to the Commission, ample consideration was given to Minister Lall’s earlier advice that the boundaries of the existing NDCs will not be changed for the upcoming Local Government Elections.

GECOM said Minister Lall thanked the Commission for the proposal, and said he had studied the recommendations thoroughly and gave the assurance that he found favour with them. Nonetheless, he underscored, GECOM stated, the need for the Political Stakeholders to be allowed time to consider the Commission’s recommendations in a consultative approach before he moves to the stage of signing an Order authorising that the recommendations be brought into effect.

However, Dr. Surujbally replied that, as a matter of great concern to the Commission, the consultative process must be done within the shortest possible time, bearing in mind that the ongoing preparatory works for the holding of Local Government Elections must not suffer any slippage, GECOM stated.

GECOM had already met with representatives of ten political parties on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 to apprise them of the principles which will serve to inform the delimitation process leading up to the establishment of constituencies for Local Government elections.