Stabroek News has invited the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change to submit a weekly column on local government and related matters. Only APNU has submitted one this week.
The lessons of the coming of Internal Self-Government (1961), Independence (1966), Republicanism (1970), New Constitution (1980) and advent of the 21st century seem to have been lost on the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). When the opportunity was presented for us to enter into the 21st century, the PPP/C chose for us to be shackled to a status-quo that obtained when we were a colony, tied to Britain then at the height of her imperial power and reach.
Bill No 12 of 2012, Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2012 sought to amend the Local Government Act (Cap. 28:02) and is so intituled. It is actually not a discretionary piece of legislation but rather mandatory and consequent to new constitutional articles of 2001. Specifically,