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Freddie Kissoon’s good column spoilt by a terrible lapse
Dear Editor,
I write to offer a few comments on Freddie Kissoon’s article –”The unbelievable country in 21st century”, which was published in Kaieteur News on May 23, 2017. The focus of Kissoon’s letter was the operationalizing of the Georgetown City Council. At the outset I wish to state that except for Freddie’s comparison of the functioning of the incumbent Council with the previous one – which I disagree with – I believe he has made a fair assessment of the situation. Editor, if truth be known, I agonized over writing this letter after having agreed with most of what Kissoon wrote.
My difficulty is that I don’t want to appear as being mean spirited for criticizing my comrade and friend, Freddie, for what some may say was a minor lapse on his part. I however felt that it was very important for me to differentiate between what appears to be ‘minor lapses’- whether intended or otherwise – with my perception of an emerging trend by persons engaged in criticizing governance measures under the APNU+AFC coalition government, who demonstrate they have short memories when they narrate the development of events under the PPP regime, be it at the central, regional or local government levels. In operating this way the objectivity of the analysis engaged in this practice often suffer.
In his letter Kissoon wrote, “…Mayor and City Council has not brought a superior form of municipal democracy. On the contrary, the PPP dominated council had fewer authoritarian traits”. He asked, “How does one explain this?” And he goes on to offer for this, which is not an issue I wish to address in this letter, since my concern at this juncture is with the premise he used that led to his explanation. Kissoon in his letter committed the grievous error of equating the quality of democracy in the present Georgetown City Council with the previous council. In doing so he ignored some of the important developments within the Council which led to the decline of Georgetown during the administration of the PPP government.
The present council is an elected body with less than two years’ experience, whereas the previous council was one that was in place for more than 16 years and had long out lived its democratic mandate. It was allowed to function to give the PPP more political control of city governance than it would have been able to command in democratic elections.
Major decisions of the council were in the main, ignored. Developmental projects were only implemented if they had the blessings of the ruling party or, were initiated by the ruling party on conditions which it determined. In the municipality of Georgetown and other local government areas citizens experienced the suspension of local governance democracy for more than a decade and a half. Imposed in its place was the dictatorship of the Minister of Local Government.
A non-elected body under the domination of a party and government that is the minority in the council can’t be used to measure democracy as against an elected one. If Kissoon had said the elected council has not brought a superior form of municipal democracy. I would have agreed with him not because I believe in the accuracy of the statement but because I see it as in keeping with the implicit spirit of the criticism i.e. of demanding better from those in control of City Hall.
Kissoon and I parted company when he said, “On the contrary, the PPP dominated council had fewer authoritarian traits”. I was forced to ask myself which country is my friend and comrade speaking of, or was it a tongue in cheek statement by him? I don’t think that I need to list here for anybody’s benefit, examples of the anti-democratic practice of the council and the extent to which democracy in the Council was undermined by the Minister of local government and the acting Town-Clerk when the PPP was in office as evidence to justify my rejection of Kissoon’s contention on this matter.
Tacuma Ogunseye
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