Local Government laws need changing before elections considered- M&CC Councilor

Local Government laws need changing before elections considered– M&CC Councilor

Jun 21, 2014 News

Even though Guyana has not held Local Government Elections over 20 years now and there is mounting pressure for such elections to be held, Georgetown City Councilor, Gladstone George, is contending that the laws need to be changed before holding these elections.
The councilor, who is also a member of the finance committee of the M&CC said, that Local Government Elections “for me would not change any dynamics with what is going on in the country.
“What need to be changed are the laws that govern local government so that the situation that we are faced with would never arise again.”
That situation to which George is referring, is the current power struggle between the government reflected in the de facto Town Clerk Carol Sooba and the M&CC through its appointed Town Clerk Royston King.
George said that if the laws are not changed to give the council full autonomy and control over its own affairs regardless of how many elections are held “you will always have a fight with Royston King, Sooba and the Minister.”
“If you have local government elections and you don’t ensure that we have effective and workable policies in place, you will find that any other City Council coming in would have similar problems and similar challenges,” said George.
The Councilor said, “If the Council can’t raise its own revenues and is stymied by the lack of governmental fiat, if a new Council has to work with the same narrow revenue bas, and has to be in tussle to decide who should manage its affairs after they would have carried out a careful study and analysis looking at the various skill sets within the councils and evaluating the various competences of people, I don’t know if you could actually have real change even with fresh elections.“
He said that currently the Council is unable to respond to the needs of local communities and that is because of the very things “we spoke about, inability of the council to raise its own revenue, hamstrung by all kinds, the political fighting’s and inference in the internal affairs of all the M&CC and all of that.”
George said that in order for the council to be more responsive to the needs of the people one has to correct all those things.
“You have a local government authority for two reasons, firstly that the ordinary man could get a chance to participate in the governance and management of its local area and secondly, to provide vital services to people in local communities, not only vital services but provide services according to the felt needs of the people in local community.”
“There is a difference between the needs and the felt needs of people. We might assume, for example, that Charlestown needs a bridge or that Albouystown needs a lot of drainage, but the felt need of the community is a day care center to put their children when everybody is going and looking for work.”
According to George, “If you have a local government that is not free to run its own affairs, then you have problems, because what is actually happening is that you are treating the M&CC as the arm of the State.
“The M&CC is not an arm of the government, it is an autonomous body; it acts on behalf of itself and the citizens, that is why you have local government elections because the people who are placed in office are elected by the people as is the case with government so they have the same rights as the central government albeit at the local level and that should be respected.”

Latest News

Local Government laws need changing before elections considered– M&CC Councilor

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Green Machine returns to RAN Sevens

GASA snubs Delroy Tyrrell for World Championships

Cricket Australia appoints former West Indian...

GBA appoints International Technical Officer...

Warriors triumph but Royals lead standings

D-Up Basketball Academy Training camp brings...

Features/Columnists

A false panacea for electoral integrity

Rising Gun Crimes in the Caribbean: Urgent Action required by all

President Ali’s tough love

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Local Government laws need changing before elections considered– M&CC Councilor

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | November, 20th, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]