THE PPP SHOULD ACTUALLY DO BETTER THIS TIME AROUND IN GEORGETOWN

May 19, 2014 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

---

I hear a lot of people talking about Local Government Elections. I want to ask some of these people if they know how many constituencies Georgetown is divided into for the purposes of Local Government Elections.
I want to ask them if they know how many seats will be up for grabs for the next Municipal Elections and how many of them will be filled by proportional representation and how many will be filled by the constituencies’ representatives.
A lot of people seem to be toeing the line of the foreign embassies and the Stabroek News by calling for Local Government Elections. But they do not have a clue as to which constituency they are living in, much less to decide if their ward or block is located in part of a bigger constituency for the purposes of Local Government Elections.
They want elections and some of them say we had elections in 1992, 1997, in 2001 in 2006 and in 2011 and people therefore know how to vote.  That is General and Regional Elections, which are based primarily on proportional representation. Local Government Elections will be held under different arrangements and many of those mouthing off about Local Government Elections do not have a clue about the boundaries of the various constituencies or even how many seats are up for grabs in the respective Municipalities and Neighborhood Democratic Councils.
To tell you the honest truth, even the Peeper is a little out of date with the developments! The last time the Peeper looked at the boundaries, it was in the run up to the 201 elections. Even the Peeper does not know whether anything has changed or whether those same boundaries, which ninety five per cent of the population don’t know anything about, have changed.
For example, take a small area like the Eccles/Ramsburg NDC. How many people know that in 2010 when Local Government Elections were due to be held, there were nine designated constituencies? A small area like that has nine constituencies. Since then demographic changes have taken place with the development of a massive new scheme in Eccles along with new settlements in contiguous areas within the same NDC. So are the 2010 boundaries valid? And how many people know about these boundaries?
Did you know that GECOM has designated nine constituencies for this area? They are 1) Providence and Ramsburg; 2) Peter’s Hall North; 3) Republic Park; 4) Nandy Park; 5) Peter’s Hall South West; 6) Old Eccles West; 7) Eccles New Housing Scheme East, 8) Eccles New Housing Scheme Central; and 9) Eccles New Housing Scheme Central.
Now Eccles East stops at the Sideline Dam. So what happens to the rest of Eccles in front of the dumpsite, which will end up having more residents than both Eccles Central and Eccles West combined? Just asking!
Now let us take a look at Georgetown where there has not been as great a demographic change as in Eccles over the past three years. For the proposed 2010 elections, Georgetown was divided into fifteen constituencies. Yes, only fifteen constituencies to cater for all the wards. The first constituency combines  parts of five wards- Kingston, East and West; Thomas Lands; Non Pariel; Cummingsburg, Alberttown and Queenstown. Now imagine having to have one candidate to represent all those wards. Some rich people in Queenstown may be asking why they cannot have their own constituency so that a person from their area and social class can represent them in the City Council.
The second constituency encompasses Kitty and Subryanville. Once again some of the rich people will not be too pleased with these boundaries. The third constituency may be more pleasing to some big shots. It takes in Bel Air Gardens, Bel Air Springs, Prashad Nagar and North- East and North West Campbellville. The fourth constituency in Georgetown encompasses Newtown, Section K Cambellville, Lamaha Gardens and Bel Air Park. The fifth constituency is Sophia and Turkeyen. The sixth constituency encompasses Cummings Lodge, South Turkeyen and South Pattensen. The seventh Bourda, Stabroek and Lacytown, most of which is now mainly occupied by businesses and offices. The eight is Stabroek, Wortmanville and Werk – en- Rust. The ninth takes in Lodge North and the Meadow Brook Gardens. The tenth is Albouystown and Charlestown. The eleventh constituency includes East La Penitence and River View. The twelfth is Tucville- North Ruimveldt. The thirteenth is West and East Ruimveldt. The fourteenth constituency is South Ruimveldt right up to the Industrial Estate. And the final constituency is Meadow Bank- Agricola.
Based on those boundaries, the PPP actually will do better than under the old system. They should easily take seven constituencies out of the fifteen. Not bad at all!

---

---