Local democracy must go beyond voting

Mar 19, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Kudos to the coalition government for running the first Local Government Elections after twenty two (22) years.  But, do our local leaders and electorate really know their civic responsibility towards their communities, municipalities, and country? I do hope that many people would have read your editorial captioned  “Matching Words  With Action,”  in your March 16, 2016 issue which significantly addressed the state of the nation since independence and raised some pertinent questions about our direction.  Permit me, however, to advance some reasons for these new leaders to know their roles and responsibilities as they serve, and make some recommendations to prepare them for a higher call to service.
The call to end the domination of race and party voting in these Local Government Elections negates the birth of Guyana as an independent nation in 1966. We had advanced out of the throes of a race war, race voting, and a convenient PNC + UF coalition that served the interest of the United States and United Kingdom to avert Cheddi Jagan’s PPP taking Guyana into the Communist orbit. Racial divisiveness is still etched in the psyche of some Guyanese and is sadly reflected at the polls.
Still, after independence is granted the business of government must go on.  By the principle of subsidiarity, large countries devolve power to states and provinces but a comparatively small country such as ours would share power with local authorities, municipalities, and regions.  As practiced by our central government, these local organs will be required to carry out similar tasks such as budgeting, raising taxes, planning, zoning, and maintaining their social and economic infrastructure, among others.
Once again in 2016, we are at the cross-roads where we must elect our leaders best suited to advocate our needs and help us accomplish our community and personal goals. There is a popular saying that everyone wants to be a hero in the crowd or to be close to the money. Some folks vie for leadership roles because of popularity, party connections, or glaring opportunism. There is also the call to select representatives on the basis of trust and integrity, but are these character traits sufficient to assure the electorate that they will be justly served knowing the deep roots of the cancer of corruption in our society?
The Guyanese electorate want solutions to the myriads of problems, including unemployment, crime, unreliable utility services (electricity, water, sanitation), and unequal opportunity, which continue to plague the society. The solutions to these problems require responsible and responsive leadership who will sincerely address the needs of their communities and create opportunities for improvement.  If we agree with KN point-of-view that “the country has been inherently plagued by cronyism, nepotism, arrogance, and disrespect for the people,” then our frame of reference for responsible leadership must reside in the highest law, The Constitution, not merely on morality and professional ethics.
The laws relating to our local government have two sources.  The Municipal and District Councils Act – Article 28:01 may serve as a handbook for leaders and aspiring leaders as it outlines the powers, scope, expectations, and responsibilities of these local agencies and committees.  However, the superior Constitution is more instructive in our democratic mission.  For example, Article 71 (1) cites Local Government as “a vital aspect of our democracy, and should be organized so as to involve as many people as possible in the task of managing and developing the country.”
This law does not only guarantee the popular will of the local people in the framework of a national development plan, but it guarantees the rights of people in the regions such as Region 8 and Region 10 to sit at the planning and negotiations table  even before  companies ( foreign and local) start operating in the forestry and extractive industries. So, some progressive outcomes would include job creation, youth training, and environmental citizenship in these communities. Article 78(a) empowers the Local Government Commission in staffing and dispute resolutions. However, it may be prudent to have all of the rules and provisions for discipline and recall of elected and appointed officials in a simple Local Government Rules Book.
The demise of our system of local government is well known.  The last local government elections were held in 1994 shortly after the PPP had won the general elections in 1992. That government was never amenable to sharing power at the local level, so by 2015 it succeeded in undermining the Neighborhood Democratic Councils (NCD’s) and installed Interim Management Committees(IMC’s) and the rest is recent history. The damage has been done and the central government and local government relationship must be re-established where the people, their councilors, overseers, and other elected officials decide on jobs and services in their communities.
My recommendations are mainly for the preparation, education, and training for local government officials and the masses they serve through processes that can be followed to solve the problems in the long term:
1.     Racial divisiveness – A formal curriculum plan for Civic Education which addresses the meaning, cultures, institutions, rights, and responsibilities of Guyanese citizenship specifically in elementary and high schools. (Note: The CXC curriculum is devoid of any such consideration)
2.     Public Management – A University of Guyana course in “Local, Regional, and Municipal Government” in the tradition of Dr. Paul Singh, Attorney-at-Law Hewley Griffith, and Elections Commissioner Vincent Alexander extended to each Region for upper and middle-level elected and appointed officials.
3.     Mentorship – Outreach work by retired Head-teachers of the caliber of McGowan, Ainsworth, and London to guide local leaders and committees through the local government management processes.
4.     Literacy awareness – Apprenticeships and Workshops for a cadre of youths that will integrate literacy and skills training with the basics of local government structure and processes.
Permit my final reflection. Every country which is a shining example of a democracy had to find consensus in areas such as race relations and religion.  Guyana is no different. We can create consensus around greater and more meaningful participation in the democratic process and around the principles of equality and fairness.
Max Wallerson

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