Leader of main opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) David Granger is perplexed to why the President would have found his letter asking for the setting of a date for local government elections ambiguous when his correspondence was pellucid.
“I wrote in English… I asked him to give me an answer. I asked him to name the date of the election… so what’s the point? I don’t understand what he is asking. There is no ambiguity on my part,” Granger stated yesterday at APNU’s weekly press conference.
Upping the ante on the call for local government polls, Granger on Tuesday wrote to President Donald Ramotar, calling on him to name a date by September 15, otherwise national and international support would be galvanised in defence of democracy.
The PPP/C government has come under severe criticism for not calling local government elections, which have not been held since 1994.
In his letter, Granger reminded that the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amend-ment) Bill, which was passed on February 10 this year, directed that elections be held on or before August 1, 2014. The government did not support this bill and wanted the deadline extended to December 31. The bill was not assented to by President Ramotar, nor was a new bill brought to cover the expiration of the August 1 deadline.
On Thursday, the President replied to Granger seeking clarification from the Opposition Leader about his ultimatum.
In that letter, released by the Office of the President, Ramotar said: “Unfor-tunately, the position represented in your letter and the positions expressed by your party after my receipt of your letter are both ambiguous and contradictory. In the circumstances, before I can properly respond to your letter, I wish for you to clarify what precisely is your party’s position.”
Yesterday Granger said that he has not yet received any invitation from the President for a meeting to discuss his letter, but once he receives it he will go. “… I will ask him when is there going to be local government elections,” Granger said.
But he stonewalled questions on if a call for local government elections at this stage, with an impending no confidence vote set to be debated when parliament resumes next month, would see a clash. “One election at a time. We are aiming at local government elections,” he said.
However, he said that Ramotar owes the nation an explanation on why the country has bypassed six opportunities, as required by the Constitution, to hold the elections and that the President must remember his promises and respect the National Assembly.
“President Ramotar has displayed gross disrespect for the National Assembly by refusing to assent to a bill which was approved after careful scrutiny and arduous work,” Granger said.
“He is aware also that the PPP/C, while he was a member of the National Assembly when his party enjoyed a majority, repeatedly passed amendments for 12 consecutive years since 1997 to defer the holding of local government elections for the expressed purpose of completing the reform of the local government system in Guyana as required by the Guyana Constitution,” he further added.
Granger said his party believes the PPP/C has deliberately underfunded municipalities and neighbourhoods and undermined democratically elected local councils thereby inhibiting their development.
“Something must be left for another tier of government; fixing streets and lighting, repairs to markets …these are services local governments are able to provide,” he stated.
