By Dominic Gaskin
In the same way that charity begins at home, one might say that democracy starts at the local level and that, without this most basic form of representation, citizens have little or no control over what takes place in their communities and how it affects them. The damage done by the prolonged absence of local government elections cannot be undone by simply holding these elections at some point in the near future.
Our next Local Government elections, whenever they are held, will bring a glimmer of hope and mark a turning point in what can only be described as a shameful and totally unnecessary setback to the institutionalization of democracy in this country. It will take a few more electoral cycles before the citizens of Guyana gain the confidence that comes with regularly choosing which persons will manage the affairs of their communities.
While our national politics may not improve, it is hoped that with the new local government legislation in effect, some aspects of governance at this level will improve and councillors will at least be responsive to the needs of their electors. Each of the seventy-one elected bodies will have to set their own priorities based on the problems affecting the areas under their authority. The many years of neglect and bad management will make this a challenge for even the most competent team of councillors, without even considering the political divisions that are sure to persist.
Tribal politics have largely allowed a situation to develop where the major goal of the electorate is to avoid political domination by the other party and by extension the other race. For local government reforms to be effective, smart voting will have to replace traditional voting patterns and decision-making by the councils needs to be independent of the politics of the national parties. Councillors will have to be wise enough to act in the best interests of their constituencies regardless of party affiliations. Reelection must be performance based and anything short of zero-tolerance for poor representation will simply not bear fruit.
Much has been said about voter education over the years and, in a country where the average voter has not yet been exposed to a regular pattern of refreshed representation, much more still needs to be said. The government’s recent public spat with the United States Ambassador over the contentious Leadership and Democracy Project is a clear indication that the PPP/C Administration is less than enthusiastic over the prospect of facing an electorate with expectations beyond the false sense of ethnic security they offer.
Any move to enlighten voters is regarded with deep suspicion by the slow-cooked communists in Freedom House, educated behind the iron curtain and still obsessed with a need to control the flow of information within their constituencies. If there’s one thing that the PPP/C administration is clearly uncomfortable with, it’s the prospect of the advancement of democracy in Guyana.
Having benefited from what is widely seen as a return to democracy following the 1992 national elections and the 1994 local government elections, the PPP/C seems to have drawn a line in the sand and used the last two decades to consolidate power while firmly resisting the expansion of democracy in any form. It would like its constituents to believe that the holding of regular national elections represents full and complete democracy and that any measures to promote greater democracy are merely attempts by the political opposition to seize power by some subversive means.
Recent remarks by the Local Government Minister, in which he claims that the Guyanese electorate is not ready for local government elections, represent yet another effort to delay these elections and, quite frankly, are an insult to the citizens of this country. Article 12 of our constitution states “Local government by freely elected representatives of the people is an integral part of the democratic organization of the State”. There is no scope here for his assessment of the readiness of the electorate. Until such time as this article becomes fully effective, he and his Ministry remain at odds with the constitution of our country when it comes to local democracy in Guyana.
Visitors to almost any community in Guyana will hear similar complaints from residents; crime, poor roads, no
