Latest update November 20th, 2024 1:00 AM
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This Govt. brought back to life our local democracy and will never do anything to repress it
DEAR EDITOR,
Municipal elections, held in March 2016, will be held again this year. I wish to underscore the importance of Local Government Elections in Guyana, which are due in November of this year.
These elections will afford citizens the right to determine who administers their towns and how. Mayors and Deputy Mayors are vital to the entire system of governance. They must commit to ensuring the delivery of public services within their municipalities and act in the interests of their constituents, consult their constituents and citizens in the decision-making processes, which are likely to affect their well-being, and conduct their duties, at all times, in accordance with the Constitution and the Laws of Guyana and remain faithful to their oath of office.
The Coalition Government has already outlined its intention to contest this year’s elections as one party, the same way that they came together as one party to contest the May 2015 Regional and General Elections in which they ousted the PPP/C ‘s reign of 23 years.
The Alliance For Change Party through its Chairman, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan made it emphatically clear that despite the issues, which will be addressed between the party and their Coalition counterparts, APNU and AFC will contest the elections together.
But the PPP/C with its usual politicking is telling its supporters to “Kick the PNC/AFC out” of your Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), Town Councils and Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
However, it should be pointed out that in furtherance of local democracy, whenever the Government tries to train the Chairmen and councillors to become more efficient and to deliver a better service to the community, the PPP reverses this training and makes it counterproductive. It is always about finding the ‘political twist’ to garner ‘political mileage’, never about development.
Former president Bharrat Jagdeo was recently quoted in another section of the media as saying, “They took great credit for returning local government democracy, for ten years stymieing it in that body that we had, the Joint Committee.”
It is worth noting that that Local Government Bill, which was in effect vetoed by President Ramotar, was one of the first pieces of legislation passed by the new government and assented to in August 2015 by President Granger.
The last time Local Government Elections (LGE) were held in Guyana was in 1994, a full two decades and more ago. Prior to that, they were held in 1970; therefore, when the electorate goes to the polls in 2018, it would be doing so for only the third LGE in 48 years.
This is a burning shame for the PPP/C operatives, who are now trying to sanitize themselves with shrill calls on the APNU+AFC government, clamouring for transparency and democracy after failing to hold LGE for over two decades.
President David Granger has said, that it is the people who ultimately have a right to determine their fate as the administration leaders of the nine capital towns in this country. The president also reiterated his Government‘s commitment in ensuring that the Local Government continues to function in the interest of the people and empowers ordinary citizens to become more increasingly involved in the administration of their own communities. This is being made possible through regular elections and concomitant training.
Jagdeo et al must understand that it is this Government, which brought back to life our local democracy and will never do anything to repress it.
Best Regards
Dillon Goring
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