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President enacts three Local Govt. Elections Acts

Nov 07, 2013 News

 

 
–   Bill to limit Minister powers outstanding

Months after being lodged at the Attorney General Chambers, three of the four Local Government Elections Bills passed in the National Assembly, on August 7 last, have been assented to by President Donald Ramotar yesterday. The President however did not assent to the Local Government (Amendment) Bill.
The bills enacted  by the Head of state are the Fiscal Transfers Act, the Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Act, and the Local Government Commission Act. This is according to Dr. Roger Luncheon, Head of the Presidential Secretariat yesterday following his post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President.
Dr. Luncheon said that the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, which stirred a lot of controversies on the floor of the House at the time of its enactment, was not assented to by Ramotar.
According to a Member of Parliament, assent to the Local Government (Amendment) Bill would limit the powers of the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development. Currently, the Minister has powers to control Nieghbourhood Democratic Councils and Municipalities.
In response to the future of the Bill, Dr. Luncheon said, “Just like time has resolved the other three, one assumes that time would resolve the fourth.”
He noted the other three Bills have been sent to the Clerk of the National Assembly yesterday.
The “languishing” of the four Bills at the Attorney General Chambers attracted many criticisms, particularly from the Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman and Opposition Members of Parliament.
The Opposition was displeased that the Bills were sent to the Attorney General Chambers for review and laboured on the fact that Parliament needs its own Legal Counsel. This recommendation by the Parliamentary Management Committee was welcomed by the Clerk of the National Assembly, who said the Bills ought not go to the Attorney General Chambers.
Local Government Elections was last held in Guyana in 1994. In August, when the Bills were approved, the way was paved for elections. This was after a 12 year period of attempting to reform the process.

 

 

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