It was the issue of the withdrawal of government advertisements from the Stabroek News which highlighted the lack of autonomy in local government once again. We recently reported that the government ads boycott of this newspaper had been extended to the regions, among others. The case of Regions Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice) is interesting, because they are all headed by the opposition PNCR-1G which has condemned the ads withdrawal. While in Region Seven, the main opposition holds the chairmanship only because of the support of the AFC, the latter has also voiced its criticism of the government’s decision in the matter.
