Dear Editor,
The national and regional elections are over and the citizens of this country are eagerly awaiting the fulfilment of one of the hundred days promises, which is the announcement of the date for local government elections (LGE).
The residents of Kwakwani strongly rejected the imposition of an Interim Management Committee and the manner in which it was done by the previous administration. Efforts were also made by residents to hold a community election that saw them turning out in large numbers to elect community leaders of their choice. The demonstration by the Kwakwani residents was commended by many political parties and non-governmental organisations which were calling on the past administration to hold the long overdue LGE.
I would like to invite the Minister of Communities to visit Kwakwani as early as possible to see the situation for himself and get the views of the majority of residents as to what prevails.
It was the view of the past administration that the elected councillors did not constitute a quorum and that the NDC was a one man show, thus the need for an IMC. It can be recalled that the very IMC that was imposed on the community had persons who didn’t even know they had been selected to serve as councillors. Today the IMC has returned to a position worse than that of the one which it replaced. It is a one-man show with no community input in decisions which affect the lives of residents.
Editor, Kwakwani is a uniquely beautiful community for holding local government elections. The facilities are there for town hall type meetings and debates with prospective community leaders, but the total involvement and support of residents and technical support from central government will be required to raise from it from the low point to which it was brought.
So I would ask the Communities Minister to include in his visiting team, an urban development officer and a property evaluator so that by the time elections are held, residents may be in a better position to know what is to be expected living in a well-structured and organised community.
Yours faithfully,
Jocelyn Morian
