America! Oh America!
This is my briefest layman’s assessment of Guyana’s attempt – real or cosmetic – to decentralize socio-political, economic authority into the hands, minds and brains of the people who live throughout the length and breadth of our Blighted Republic.
After such a lengthy opening sentence – paragraph, which breaks the purest journalistic rules, we can, nevertheless, ask and answer questions about local government and people’s power.
What? People’s power? What people’s power? But I’m getting ahead of myself and this short essay.
The rationale
As is usual and expected, the rationale, concept, the reasons and objectives were all valid, necessary and even idealistic. 83,000-square mile Guyana cried out for the devolution and decentralization of power – sorry, authority – to empower local communities to assist in government of themselves from the bottom up.
Large countries – (I nearly wrote democracies) – found it convenient to divide and sub-divide their states and government into such entities as states, regions, provinces, districts, countries and so on. Villages, towns, cities and other associated or dependent units would usually fall within the large demarcated scheme of things. Easy modern-day examples of these large states, of course, would be the USA, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico, and Iraqi. (Dare I include Russia or China?)
The truth is that most states long realized that it is unacceptable and hardly practical for the elected central government politicians, in the nations’ capitals, to attempt day-by-day governance of far-away communities effectively.
Hence the political, governmental and administrative sub-divisions of government, which we see around the world.
Third World nations, mind you, have leaders who tend to be very finicky and wary of too much devolution of real power to the people too far removed from the capital. It does not matter how popularly-elected the centrally-located President was or is, those Third World governments prefer their provinces, districts and regions to enjoy authority not any real power! Let’s not go into the obvious reasons here.
Our Guyana – Ten Regions
Writing here lazily and purely from memory, I recall that the late Desmond Hoyte, as minister of something superintended the division of Guyana into ten administrative regions. (As a school boy I knew merely three counties and three or four geographical /natural “regions”.)
A Mr T.A. Earle had the assignment – and distinction – of “carving” up our and his Guyana into ten “regions”. But what were his criteria? His rationale? Well, Mr. Earle was tasked by Hoyte – and the visionary, sometimes practical Forbes Burnham – to ensure that each of his ten geographical/administrative regions was capable of becoming economically viable – if not “independent”; reasonably self-reliant in terms of managing its local governmental affairs of maintaining good relations with its neighbouring region and also capable of indigenous initiatives to produce food, housing and proposals for perhaps unique all-round development.
We can see that, in the early eighties, that was a huge order for any of Mr Earle’s new regions. It still is! Human resource capacity was severely limited. Local government expertise and experience was limited to village and village districts then. Anyway, Mr. Burnham, as well-meaning as he was grand, had the fellows create regional administrative councils (“De Region”) and neighbourhood democratic councils (NDCs) – all under a grand administrative umbrella styled the National Congress of Local Democratic Organs – Whew! The NCLDO!
Then at general elections time, there were also regional elections. Parliament reflected – and still does, – some purely “regional” representation. What did, what does all that mean? Alas! In reality, frankly speaking, the “regional system” never worked according to Mr. Burnham’s vision. Partly due to his own administrations’ machinations. That’s my view. Besides lack of capacity, geographical distances and difficult terrain; infrastructure each region needed but was not capable of providing for itself – and the determination by both some bureaucrats and PNC politicians that too much authority should never be the prerogative of local regional leaders.
I can understand the reality of defence, security large-scale infra-structure and even, yes even, some crucial decision-making having to attract central attention and direction. But, to me, the regions’ leaders were never given real opportunity to breathe; to learn (from success and mistakes); to instruct Georgetown based on the community-level wisdom on the ground. Too much Central government interference and intervention, coupled with political wrangling and intrusion, stultified genuine local regional governance. To me it has never been allowed to blossom! Look at things today.
The “regions” today
The PPP/C inherited Burnham’s regions in 1992. Like all political entities, they were living and working within those same regions and flawed systems. Is there progress now?
Naturally, every year the regional chairmen report “successful” execution of projects. Then CN Sharma’s cameras reveal distressing contradictions. Those regional officials who today actually enjoy a little more autonomy, compared to the old days, seem to be using that authority quite negatively. Just read and listen to the media’s headlines: the thefts, the corrupt contracts, shoddy execution of projects and the near-absolute power of a local government minister, whose power does not stop regional wrong-doing.
I’ll end here without mentioning upcoming local government elections, or the municipalities. What’s your take on the issue?
America, Oh America!
Space dictates that I postpone this portion. However, the Briefing Notes prepared by the United State Citizenship and Immigration Services make real succinct interesting reading of American history for those who would become citizens of that Nation of Immigrants.
Two examples ‘til I return to the subject: The White House is located in Washington DC because after the New York capital the South and North representatives fought bitterly for the nation’s headquarters to be located in their respective regions.
The South won out when it was agreed that much of the North’s debt would be written off.
And the period between the victory of a new President – the transition – and his Inauguration, was initially to allow the victor to travel the long distance to Washington when there were no speedy planes, trains or cars! More next time.
Ponder…
*1) The Army and Major Clarke: Is it true what the Stabroek concluded recently? That “the upper echelons of the Army (GDF) had also received a copy of the indictment but kept it under wraps…And Clarke was allowed to voluntarily leave the country and travel to the USA where he surrendered.”
Wow! Who gave the then “upper echelons of the army” authority to so act? Did they know of Clarke’s value to the Americans’ case against the kidnapped Roger Khan? No wonder President Jagdeo moved against some top GDF fellows.
You need to know the many other sides to this saga? Go research for yourself. I’m scared.
*2) Who are the leaders of these political “parties”? – The God Bless Guyana Party? The Guyana Nationalists Party? The Horizon and Star Party? The Peoples Bread and Butter Party? Party fuh so!
*3) Couldn’t we discard some religious holidays? Leaving them just to their devotees?
‘Til Next Week!
Comments? Allanafenty@yahoo.com
