There is a lack of political will to empower the people – Corbin

Mar 26, 2010 News

---

The holding of Guyana’s first Local Government Elections (LGE) in 16 years, which was tentatively set for next month, has been thrown into further doubt with a major opposition party saying that it will not participate unless reform legislations are addressed.
The opinion of leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Robert Corbin, is that there is a lack of political will to empower the people. Corbin at the time was addressing media operatives, at his party’s weekly press briefing, on the issue of reform for Local Government Elections.
He reiterated that his party will not be contesting the elections without the reforms and expressed his view that there is enough time to complete the process this year if there is political will.
“The party is prepared to contest the elections at anytime, provided that the prerequisite is in place…the elections could have been held already.”
Corbin stressed that his party is more interested in ensuring that the reforms are put in place rather than setting a date for the elections.
As it relates to whether the elections could be held next year in light of the fact that General Election is slated for 2011, Corbin said that that was a matter for the Guyana Elections Commission.
And President Bharrat Jagdeo, speaking to reporters yesterday during a visit to the Qualfon Call Centre at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, disclosed that he recently met with the Opposition Leader, who had expressed his party’s unwillingness to participate in the elections without the issue of reform legislations in parliament being addressed.
“I pointed out that it has been many, many years since local government elections (has been held),” the Head of State said.
Jagdeo said that many people blame the government when elections are not held but the fact remains that the administration has sought to make recommendations via a special committee headed by former minister, Clinton Collymore.
The failure to arrive at a consensus had forced a move to parliament to have the reform legislations addressed there.
According to the President, he is not too happy with the idea of the LGE being delayed since the General Elections are set for next year.
In recent consultations, the PPP/C has “reluctantly agreed” to have one last ditch attempt to settle the matter in parliament.
The President said he was not too keen on the idea of the entering into 2011 with controversy and as such, wanted the issued to be settled urgently.
Last week, opposition leaders threatened to boycott the LGE in what they believed was a plan to give government control on a commission overseeing the reforms. There were criticisms over the possible power of the government to appoint the majority of the members of the commission.
General Secretary Oscar Clarke has been quoted as saying that his party, the PNCR, is considering not participating in the LGE unless government agree to allow local governments more scope with their affairs, including the allocation of funds.
The present system allows central government authority to dismiss local government workers and withhold funds from Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and municipalities.
There has been no LGE since 1994 as disagreement continue over the updating of the voters’ registration lists.
Meanwhile, Dr Steve Surujbally, Chairman of the GECOM, has responded to Corbin’s call to hold off on the preparations of the elections until the reforms are put in place by saying that, “GECOM is mandated to prepare for and administer Local Government and General and Regional Elections in Guyana in compliance with the legal provisions for so doing. “
Dr Surujbally added also upon the completion of the House-to-House Registration exercise, which was conducted in 2008, and with the next General and Regional Elections becoming due in August 2011, the Commission took the deliberate decision to focus attention proactively on preparations for the conduct of Local Government Elections on the basis of the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill of 2009, which had been agreed upon by the Joint Task Force for Local Government Reform.
“Accordingly, during the first quarter of 2009, GECOM instructed its Secretariat to commence preparations for the holding of Local Government Elections in 2009…This entailed the development of a Microsoft Project Plan delineating all of the activities to be conducted for and including the holding of these Elections.”
As it relates to the objection that the party had on the issue of the constitutionality of the elections, which was raised by Corbin, Dr Surujbally said, “Our review of the provisions of these (Constitutional) Articles leaves us with no doubt that their application poses no jeopardy to GECOM insofar as the preparations for and administering of Local Government Elections is concerned.”
Dr Surujbally also pointed out to the opposition leader that given the latest developments on the issue, “GECOM cannot be unmindful of the concerns expressed by the Parliamentary Opposition Parties and our own understanding that there is an accommodative disposition by the Government to favourably consider the demands for the outstanding pieces of legislation to be brought to closure before the Local Government Elections are held.”
He said that it is within that environment that GECOM documents some of the major consequences which will emerge should the holding of Local Government Elections be pushed further back, beyond the scope of the current edition of the Microsoft Project Plan which is guiding the work of the Secretariat.
Among these, he pointed out that there is no guarantee that the personnel already trained to be appointed temporarily to facilitate the conduct of the Local Government Elections would still be available to GECOM in the near future.
“The validity of the Registers of Voters (which for all practical purposes are ready) for the holding of Local Government Elections will expire three months from the date of its certification….The Registers of Voters for the holding of the upcoming Local Government Elections is scheduled to be certified on March 26, 2010.”
According to Dr Surujbally, should the validity of the Registers of Voters expire due to any delay outside of the scope of the current edition of their Microsoft Project Plan, the conduct of a new Claims and Objections exercise will become mandatory, necessitating that the entire registration process be restarted.
“Considering the monies already expended on the preparations for the upcoming Local Government Elections, GECOM does not have the financial wherewithal from the 2010 budget estimated provisions to accommodate expenditure associated with carrying out the tasks which would have to be redone should the elections be delayed.”

---

---