The parliamentary opposition has withdrawn from the work of the parliamentary select committee on delayed local government legislation, saying that the government has refused to make concessions aimed at reform.
PNCR leader Robert Corbin on Friday called the committee a “sham,” stating that the participation of opposition members in its work made no difference since the government is determined to have its way. The party has decided against further participation in the committee unless there are clear assurances that the recommendations of the Task Force on Local Government Reform would be fully implemented, PNCR’s Chief Whip Lance Carberry explained. AFC MP David Patterson also confirmed the withdrawal of his party’s participation in the committee, accusing the government of railroading the legislation.
PPP General Secretary Donald Ramotar, who is a member of the select committee, told Stabroek News that he could not understand the reason for the decision, since the parties had reached agreement at the level of the Task Force. “It just shows they are unwilling to cooperate and get government business done,” he said, reacting to the announcement.
However, according to Carberry, the participation of the opposition parties in the work of the committee had been premised on the understanding that the consideration of the five bills would be expedited so that they could all be passed by the National Assembly as a “package,” representing the agreed reforms of the local government system prior to the holding of long-delayed polls.
Following the passage of the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2009 and the Local Government Commission Bill 2009, prior to the National Assembly Recess in August, the remaining legislation before the committee are the Fiscal Transfers Bill 2009, the Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2009 and the Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2009. Despite opposition resistance to the content of the two Bills, they were passed before the recess — a move that was at the time premised on the holding of local government polls by year end.
In this context, the opposition has been critical of President Bharrat Jagdeo for waiting two months to assent to the Local Authorities Bill; he also has not yet given assent to the Local Government Commission Bill.
The opposition parties’ decision to withdraw was prompted by the agenda at the first meeting of the committee, on Tuesday 27 October, after the Assembly concluded its annual recess.
According to the opposition parties, since the Local Government (Amendment) Bill is intended to capture all of the amendments to the various local government laws, they had successfully lobbied for it to be dealt with upon the completion of the other bills. However, upon the resumption of the committee’s work, the government members used their majority to set aside the previously agreed agenda, saying that that the bills should be considered in the sequence in which they were presented to the National Assembly. “It is now evident, however, that no compromise is possible at that forum, since the PPP/C obviously intends to unilaterally impose its predetermined position to ensure that the minister retains control and dominance over local government, thus making a mockery of its declared intention to have local government reform,” Carberry declared.
As a result, he said, the PNCR and the other parliamentary opposition parties have determined that they will not participate in such deception.
But Ramotar said that there is “nothing unreasonable” in the government’s position to treat with the legislation as it was tabled. He added that the work of the committee is not expected to be difficult since agreement had been reached on a number of issues at the level of the Joint Local Government Task Force. He added that the committee was working on trashing out areas of difference.
As a result, he felt there was no valid reason for the decision to withdraw. “I think their position seems to be very illogical,” he said, while adding that the opposition party seemed to be moving towards creating the political conditions for terrorist violence.