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‘Enough is Enough’ …PNCR demands immediate restoration of Local Government Commission
(Kaieteur News) – The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has levelled yet another accusation against the government, asserting that the prolonged absence of a functioning Local Government Commission (LGC) is actively crippling local democracy and leaving local authorities powerless to handle escalating administrative misconduct.
In a formal statement issued by PNCR General Secretary Sherwin C. Benjamin, the opposition party declared that municipalities and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) across Guyana are experiencing “administrative paralysis” because the constitutionally mandated body tasked with overseeing human resources remains constituted.
Sherwin Bejamin
The PNCR, which shifted to the smaller opposition bloc in the National Assembly following last September’s general elections, stated that the fallout from the missing regulatory body has moved past bureaucratic delays and is now directly impacting daily operations and public safety nets across local communities. The party alleges that several local government organs are currently unable to address severe disciplinary breakdowns among staff. Without the Commission’s oversight, local councils lack the legal teeth to penalise or terminate workers.
The opposition party highlighted several compounding issues currently frozen in limbo, as well as alleged cases of the pilfering of public funds remain unresolved, incidents of insubordination, chronic absenteeism, and dereliction of duty are going unpunished.
“Local authorities cannot continue to operate with one hand tied behind their backs while critical personnel matters remain unresolved,” Benjamin stated, warning that the current vacuum creates an environment where “disorder, uncertainty, and administrative paralysis flourish.” The PNCR is framing the issue as a systemic, centralizing overreach by the current administration. The party contends that blocking the functionality of the LGC strips democratically elected local councils of their management rights, violating both the spirit and letter of the law.
Specifically, the party cited Article 75 of the Constitution of Guyana, which explicitly guarantees a system of autonomous local democratic organs.
“Local government cannot be truly autonomous if local authorities are stripped of the ability to manage their own human resources through the mechanisms established by law,” Benjamin argued, calling the current status quo “unconstitutional in practice.”
Framing the situation as a “direct assault” on good governance and institutional respect, the PNCR has called for immediate state intervention to fully constitute and operationalize the body.
The government has not yet issued a formal response to the PNCR’s latest criticisms regarding the LGC timeline. “Enough is enough,” Benjamin stated. “The functioning of the Local Government Commission must be restored without further delay.”
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