Stabroek News has invited the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change to submit a weekly column on local government and related matters. The PPP/C has declined the offer. Only APNU has submitted a column this week.
The Stabroek News newspaper, beginning in early May 2014, carried daily on its front page, a comment relating to the absence of local government in the country. These comments point to the deplorable conditions that exist in communities countrywide and urge that local government elections (LGE) be held without further delay.
The comment on August 25, 2014 states: “Local government elections could help to end bad roads and clogged trenches. It is up to the PPP/C government.” While this is true, there is a danger of (a) citizens’ expectations as to the ability of the holding of LGE to repair broken communities may be over-inflated, and (b) the view that we cannot have some level of effective local governance even before the holding of LGE. Both these factors have everything to do with the attitude of the central government, i.e. will they uphold the law and the constitution?
The constitution says at Art. 71. (1) that “Local Government is a vital aspect of democracy and shall be organized so as to involve as many people as possible in the task of managing and developing the communities in which they live.” The PPP have steadfastly, since acceding to office in 1992, refused to allow this to happen.
Should there be LGE today and, therefore, newly-elected councils, namely neighbourhood democratic councils and municipalities tomorrow, what is there to prevent the PPP, as long as it remains in government, from continuing to apply the steel heel and iron fist towards these councils? Why should we expect that the PPP will experience a new realisation and, hence, decide that it will allow local democratic organs to function with the authority and autonomy that the constitution specifies?
Would a new Georgetown City Council be rid of the unfit and unqualified Town Clerk that is imposed on the present council? Would Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker suddenly decide to adopt a collaborative attitude towards a new Georgetown City Council if it comprises a majority of councillors from A Partnership for National Unity and cease his current uncooperative and antagonistic attitude? Would Minister Whittaker cease his unfriendly intrusion and interference into the functioning of this council (and others)?
The evidence at hand offers little hope for any such change of heart on the part of the PPP administration. The evidence rather suggests that the PPP, once in control of central government, might be even more oppressive and dismissive towards non-PPP councils as well as the few that they may have some residual influence following LGE. This would be in keeping with its current attitude towards the National Assembly in which they are a minority!
The Local Government Commission Bill was finally passed in the National Assembly on 7th August, 2013. The need for this Commission arose from a new constitutional provision enacted in 2001! Operationalisation of this Commission, however, requires issuance of a Commencement Order by the Local Government Minister. Even though more than thirteen years have passed since the supreme law dictates that there be such a Commission and more than one year has elapsed since the Bill to bring it into being has been passed, the Local Government Minister refuses to issue this Order!
Citizens need to appreciate, therefore, that it does not require the holding of LGE for us to have local decision-making, participation and local governance. This can happen even now once the Local Government Commission is operationalised. With a functioning Local Government Commission, under existing legislation, the Minister of Local Government would lose his ability to micromanage and subvert the authority of duly-elected councils as he currently does.
Successive PPP Administrations have ruthlessly subverted local democracy. Local Government elections will not necessarily bring about local governance or local democracy as the constitution dictates. This will only happen when there is a central government that is prepared to honour laws relating to local democracy. Citizens have to get rid of the PPP and elect a government that will see to this.
In this regard, A Partnership for National Unity in its column published in the Stabroek News on 2014.07.24, committed itself to a covenant with citizens to ensure that the autonomy and authority of local democratic organs will be respected.
A democratic system of local government will come about only when APNU forms the government and introduces real inclusionary democracy. Replace PPP’s attitude of exclusion and confrontation with APNU’s policy of cooperation and collaboration. Vote to empower communities to manage their own affairs. Vote APNU.
