President Donald Ramotar and his People’s Progressive Party/Civic Administration (PPP/C) have taken Guyana into a state of near anarchy. The Constitution is clear in defining what constitutes democracy. It requires not only General or elections for a President and members of the National Assembly; it requires local government elections too.
The Constitution states, at Art. 12, that “Local government by freely elected representatives of the people is an integral part of the democratic organization of the State.” Further at Art. 71, it states that “Local Government is a vital aspect of democracy…”
The President’s refusal to assent to the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2014, Bill No. 3 of 2014, ensures that there is now no legal cover for 71 of our local democratic organs, namely the neighbourhood democratic councils and municipalities. The constitutional life of these organs expired on 1st December, 2013 and they now exist in a legal vacuum. Guyana cannot be