The residents of the communities of Parishara, Nappi and Haiwa (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) will not participate in the upcoming village council elections unless the name of one of the persons nominated for a post on the village council, and then removed, is reinstated.
The three villages are governed under a unified council and Stabroek News had reported earlier this month that the villagers expressed concern over the omission from the list of nominees of Lionel John, who was nominated for Toshao and John Alfred, who was nominated as a councilor.
Stabroek News was told recently that there was a mix-up when the official list of nominees was being compiled and this resulted in the men’s names being excluded. However, soon after the glitch was identified and the report was published by this newspaper, John’s name was put back on the list, but residents raised concern over the omission of Alfred’s name.
Stabroek News was told that the Regional Executive Officer (REO) was ordered to disqualify Alfred. When contacted, persons at the Regional Administration office at Region 9 informed this newspaper that the REO was unavailable.
Earlier this week, the residents protested the issue at an impromptu meeting which was held at Parishara at which two regional councillors from Region Nine were in attendance. According to a resident in the area, there are moves to place the names of persons who are sympathetic with the ruling PPP/C government on the list.
According to him, the community of Parishara was clear in its opposition to the impending move and according to him most residents there did not vote for the government at last November’s regional and general elections. He said Alfred was highly favoured for a position on the council since he was once the village captain and during his tenure, he worked towards the development of the community through small community-based projects.
Earlier this month, the residents objected to a delay in the elections as well as the omission of the names of Alfred and John. They stated, in a document sent to the REO and copied to several other regional officials, “We will be very grateful to know who makes the decision to omit names of our candidates without our free, prior and informed consent.” The document added, “For too long, very few people have been making arbitrary decisions on our behalf hampering the development of our community,” the letter read.
Amerindian villages across Guyana this month will select new village councils at elections which are held every three years and residents of several Amerindian communities have expressed concern over attempts by government officials to direct the electoral process.
Late last month, a member of the Community Development Council (CDC) of Aranaputa, also in Region Nine, accused the government of interfering in the preparations of the community’s upcoming elections. The CDC planned to hold its elections to elect a new chairman and executive on April 27, when the three-year life of the current council expires.
However, according to a councillor, the CDC held a public meeting, where the Regional Executive Officer (REO) Claire Singh told villagers that the council should hold its elections on April 15, to be followed by nomination day on March 23.
