Dear Editor,
I write to express support for the community elections at Kwakwani on September 5.
The fact that there have been no local government elections since 1994 in Guyana is an indication that the Ministry of Local Government & Regional Development has no interest in local democracy.
Since the results of the 2011 National and Regional Elections in Guyana, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has launched an all-out assault on all of the institutions of local democracy.
They put into place a relentless plan of suppression of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils by reassigning overseers. It has been alleged that senior officers of the ministry including elected officials have blamed the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils’ nationwide lack of performance, for the PPP/C Government’s loss of control over the National Assembly.
The stigma of blaming Neighbourhood Democratic Councils for loss of national electoral support has seen or ushered in a new dispensation whereby the ministry assumed the role of employing overseers for Neighbourhood Democratic Councils. This they believed provided the key to selecting hand-picked friends of the ministry and by extension supporters of the PPP to be in control of the affairs of the local administration decisions and work plans within the village councils – Neighbourhood Democratic Councils.
At the commencement of the village movement in 1839 all political decisions on local development plans were the responsibility of the locally elected leaders and overseers.
With the advent of Act 14 of 1945, Cap 28:02 under the British colonial government a structured local government system was instituted to provide an executive administrative framework to preside over the collection of rates and taxes to be used in the maintenance of community infrastructure such as, roads, bridges, canals, dams, kokers and community buildings.
The colonial government relationship with the local government bodies was generally one of oversight and guidance. As such, the employment of the overseer and other staff was a decision of the Village Council, with a provision for the Minister to approve the appointment. However, Cap. 28:02 does not suggest that the Minister could or should refuse to approve the decision of the council.
Underlying the strength of the local government system is the provision to have local government elections every three years for the entire council and internal elections every year for the positions of chairman and vice-chairman. The provisions in the law for such elections offered a chance for a review of the performance of the elected officials. Incompetence and under performance were dealt with by the democratic process on a regular basis so there would be no entrenched perpetual inefficiency and corruption.
I support the decision of the people of Kwakwani to elect their own local government leaders/representatives. This boldness should be emulated throughout all local government districts in Guyana. Recentralization must be discouraged.
Yours faithfully,
Clement Corlette
Regional Chairman
Region 4: Demerara/Mahaica