Dear Editor,
The Local Government institutions in Region Two are crashing, another councillor and chairman of the Charity/Urasara Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) has resigned following alleged mismanagement of the council’s affairs.
Councillors of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council are calling on the Minister of Local Government to hold fresh elections urgently so the councillors can elect a new chairman for the Charity/Urasara NDC. These councillors and stakeholders are against the installation of an Interim Management Committee ( IMC) as proposed by the Regional Chairman to conduct the affairs of the present council.
Under the Local Government Act, Chapter 28:02 councillors can present arguments in support of fresh election to be held if the chairman has resigned and there is no Vice Chairman acting. Charity/Urasara was accorded its boundaries in August,4,1994 under the new local government Act. The PPP won the majority of seats, myself and Mr Vishnu Samaroo who was then the PPP party organizer were nominated by the late Dr Cheddi Jagan to witness the swearing in of the new councillors and chairman Mr Ayube Khan.
The NDC’s –RDC relations are inconsistent in this region since the beginning of 1994 and are often politicized causing problems for the smooth functioning of these NDC’s and the Municipality.
It is now widely accepted knowledge that the IMC is too politicized a mechanism and a failure, councillors tend to have much of the necessary information and expertise in what works, what does not, and in identifying real needs and priorities for their council once they know the local government Act. Councillors make daily use of services and programmes related to each other across multiple differences.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
Former Deputy Mayor