Desmond Trotman berates Whittaker over local gov’t polls

Desmond Trotman

APNU MP Desmond Trotman yesterday issued a stern call on Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker to “abandon the insulting and ridiculous” position that the Guyanese people are not ready for local government elections.

Last month, Whittaker had told Stabroek News that the vast majority of Guyanese were not prepared for Local Government Elections and that going ahead would be a waste of money.

Whittaker had also said that a lot more public awareness work has to be done so as to ensure that the citizenry is knowledgeable and interested enough in the polls, which were last held in 1994. He said that he will give the order for local government elections when the Guyana Elections Commission says it is ready.

As the second day of the budget debate got underway, Trotman reiterated what he said during a debate on the Local Government Amendment Elections Bill several weeks ago “people want garbage- free communities, they want qualified administrators capable of quick, efficient responses to