Dear Editor,
I am a Guyanese as well as a ratepayer, and I would like to see each Neighbourhood Democratic Council uplift its area by making its village look clean and beautiful. I am therefore, calling on the parliament to have the local government laws revised.
The councils should be able to work in a way whereby ratepayers will see what they are there for. This does not mean that central government would not audit their books and give them the usual subvention and also someone to have responsibility for them.
The persons elected as councillors should be ratepayers, be of outstanding character and represent every area of life, that is, sports, farmers, housewives, teachers, public servants, etc, and should be able to communicate and do community work.
I am not in agreement with the Local Government Ministry having day-to-day responsibility for the NDCs and not the Regional Democratic Councils.
This means the ratepayers have to take their complaints to Georgetown and this is an additional expense on ratepayers. When there was a District Commissioner in most areas, that person used to control the then local authorities and village councils, and this was just like the Regional Democratic Councils.
Who would examine the NDCs’ books each week? Will they have to travel to Georgetown?
Finally, I am in total agreement with what the Kwakwani NDC did.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
