Dear Editor,
The disbanding of the Anna Regina Town Council on Wednesday 3.10.2012 by the Minister of Local Government, and the installing of an Interim Management Committee by the said Minister Mr. Ganga Persaud may be good news because the list of names that was submitted prior to the 1994 Local Government Elections has been depleted as persons listed have lost interest because of the inefficient way the council is run, migrated or died. Therefore not having a quorum there can be no statutory meeting.
However, the manner in which these persons were chosen for the I.M.C. is cause for concern. I will concede that under Local Government Act Chapter 28:02 the Minister has the authority to appoint whomsoever he chooses to be a member of the neighbourhood democratic council, and in the Municipal and District Council Act Chapter 28:01 the same authority resides with the Minister.
I am a member of the Local Government Commit-tee and I have attended all the meetings of the Committee for the year which are held on the fourth Wednesday of each and every month.
A representative of the Town Council also attended and presents a report at these meetings. It is also interesting to note that at the Statutory Meeting for the month of August, the Minister within the Local Government Ministry, Mr. Norman Whittaker addressed the members of the Committee and nothing was said about disbanding the Council and installing an interim body.
After the 2006 General and Regional elections I was elected to be a member of the Regional Democratic Council representing
The Alliance For Change in Region 2, a position that I still hold and I am extremely proud of. The words or phrase that is often used by Ministers of Government and Senior Government officials during their addresses to the Council or any other occasion are, consultation, inclusiveness, stakeholders participation, involvement of beneficiaries, and civil society. As for the Minister Mr. Ganga Persaud those words or phrases had a different meaning.
The minister came into the Region giving less than twenty-four hours notice, just like he did when he appointed persons to be NDC councillors, disbanded and installed persons recommended to him by one political party and that party is the P.P.P.
While there is need for an I.M.C. at the Municipality until local government elections are held all the political parties that contested the last regional elections and based on their performance or votes collected within that municipality (Three Friends – Walton Hall) should have been represented on the 16-member council accordingly.
This is the parties’ showing within the municipality at the last regional elections
P.P.P/C – 4,408
A.P.N.U .- 939
A.F.C. – 886
When you look at the list it is reasonable to conclude that same was submitted by the P.P.P. Even the lone A.P.N.U. representative on the list was told about this activity less than twenty-four hours prior to the Minister’s visit.
This pattern of behaviour by the minister to go into communities and install I.M.Cs be it at the N.D.C. or Municipality in such manner only serves to reinforce the public perception that this P.P.P. administration is not interested in local government reform and local government elections that are long overdue. It suits their purpose by not having same.
Yours faithfully,
Archie Cordis
