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Mr. Whittaker, please be for real!

Aug 31, 2014 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
I read with amazement a letter written by the Honourable Minister of Local Government Mr. Norman Whittaker in Stabroek News titled “City council’s no-confidence motions are taking precedence over critical matters citizens want addressed”, in which he wrote:
“No-confidence motions seem to be a popular agenda item at statutory meetings of some Municipal Councils and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, the most recent ones being at the city council’s recent statutory meetings of Monday, August 25, 2014
Mr. Whittaker swore on being elected to office to be an honourable man. I assume that he ought to be wedded to the truth and not indulge in any clumsy attempt to deceive citizens. I note the following.
1. In a viable democracy it is the right of groups or organizations to express no confidence in those who have failed to faithfully execute their mandate and meet the expectations of their organizations. Mr. Whittaker should know that the reasons why plans are held up for citizens, is mainly because the Town Clerk clearly has other priorities. Two meetings ago, in an effort to respond to several complaints, the Council directed the Town Clerk to adjust the agenda so that all applications affecting citizens such as plans etc, be brought forward. This was done. The Minister should therefore chide his Town Clerk for her failure to act on these and similar matters.
2. He talked about Solid Waste; the Minister could not be serious. Since last year the Council asked Town Clerk (ag) Carol Sooba to advertise so that we can determine how we allocate resources to Solid Waste Collection and disposal in Georgetown, in spite of several reminders, she has refused and failed to do this.
3. It is otiose to comment on the statement that the motions are rooted in personality differences. Where else is the Clerk of a Council allowed to continuously flout the request of the President, Ministers, Minister Whittaker himself and the duly elected Mayor and Councillors of Georgetown? Where else can a Town Clerk be allowed to starve the Mayoral Complex of vital equipment, send workers out without water, tools and safety equipment, and not do any basic repairs to buildings in the City Hall Compound?
Such is the disgraceful state of the Constabulary Headquarters while she finds money to purchase a one of its kind sofa suite for her office.
What is Minister Whittaker talking about? What he should do is not infer that the Town Clerk and City Treasurer can do as they please, ignoring the duly elected Councillors, but he should persuade his colleagues to activate the Local Government Service Commission, a body that would never impose on the Council an unqualified person to function as the Chief Executive Officer at City Hall. He must persuade his party to have Local Government Elections and to let this oft-used phrase of a ‘return to democracy’ be a reality.
The old folks would say Mr. Whittaker, please be for real. I have avoided the tedium of many other examples such as this charade to clean up the City while stifling and suffocating the institutions like the Mayor and City Council of money and management to allow them to do their work.
Eric Mosley

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