Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon says that Cabinet is considering the replacement of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown with an Interim Management Committee because of the ongoing findings of corrupt practices and said too that senior persons will be sent on leave to allow for a criminal investigation.
He was speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing held at the Office of the President yesterday.
“Cabinet reflected on the dissolution of the Council and its replacement with an IMC,” Dr. Luncheon said, adding that the need for citizens of the city to voice their opinion on the issue is an irrefutable one. “Cabinet retained this consideration [of an IMC] under its active consideration,” said Dr. Luncheon.
He said that corruption in the M&CC led to Commissioner Keith Burrowes crafting a menu of measures or interventions to begin a long journey of redemption and rectitude.
He said that the unchanged nature of the M&CC over the months with the many findings of corrupt practices defeated the purpose of Burrowes’ work and this has been revealed in a report compiled by Ramon Gaskin. “Cabinet on receipt of this report submitted it to the Council and urged that action be taken,” he said.
He said that for criminal matters the Criminal Investigation Department of the Guyana Police Force was brought in. “Cabinet is satisfied now that its interventions were proper and will support the criminal investigation targeting senior officials who will be sent on leave [to allow for those investigations],” he said.
Political analysts have said that the government has been considering for some time now the replacement of the council to give it the opportunity of handpicking people to run the city. This would see more funds being poured into city works a la the IMC in 1993 and enable the government to take credit for improvements. The present council has been in place since 1994.
