President Donald Ramotar says that he wants local government elections to be held this year and a lot will depend on how fast the parliamentary committee looking after the proposed reform legislation finishes its work.
The Local Government Commission Bill, the Fiscal Transfers Bill, the Local Government (Amendment) Bill and the Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill, which were deemed instrumental for local government reform and the holding of long-delayed local government elections, are being examined by a parliamentary Special Select Committee.
Earlier this month, several members had reported that the work of the Committee is progressing steadily despite disagreements.
Asked about the possibility of local government elections- which were last held in 1994- being held this year, Ramotar at a press conference at the Office of the President yesterday said that “a lot of that will depend on how fast the work in parliament could be finished with the other bills that are there” as well as the time the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) will have to set up for an election this year.
Should the Bills be completed by July, it has to be determined whether Gecom will be ready, Ramotar said adding that he wants elections.
“We badly need local government elections in this country…we need to have a renewal of local democracy,” he said adding that a lot of the issues on the ground have to do with the lack of local government elections.
Earlier this year, the four key western missions in Guyana called for the holding of local government elections, saying that there is no valid justification for further delay, which they said is responsible for a persistent drag on Guyana’s national development.
“Given the important and pressing need for effective local governance, we believe that 2013 should be a watershed moment for the people of Guyana — the year they can once again democratically elect their local government,” said the statement signed by US ambassador D Brent Hardt, European Union ambassador Robert Kopecky, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom Andrew Ayre, and High Commissioner of Canada David Devine.
The government has blamed a number of factors for the non-holding of local government elections but critics have argued that it has been in charge of the process and it was always within its ability to hold the elections.
