In its meteoric transformation after decades-long decrepitude, the Kitty Market can be seen as a metaphor for Friday’s historic local government elections (LGE) while at the same time raising troubling questions about the impositions of central government on the lower tiers of governance.
Kitty was only one of a number of markets that fell under the largest municipality in the country, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC). With the city having sprawled far beyond its original perimeters, the M&CC had been signally unable to fund all of the maintenance and capital works it should have taken on. Hence, the rot began to set in at Kitty, other markets and the general machinery that fell under the jurisdiction of the city. The deterioration began long before the PPP/C entered office in 1992 and progressively worsened as a result of the ensuing political discord between City Hall and the then Office of the President right up to 2015.
Just when it appeared that all was lost for Kitty, an almost magical transformation began last month. Vendors who had toughed it out for years in dire circumstances were relocated nearby and in short order rotten wood had been cast out, beams strengthened and new boards were being hammered into place last week. The transformation threatens to restore the market, at least the facade, to what it once was when gleaming coats of paint are put on.
Having been on life support up to a few weeks ago when outgoing Mayor Green said that the fate of the market would be left in the hands of the new ‘Chief Citizen’ following Friday’s LGE, Kitty’s transformation is truly miraculous and should be seen by the voters as what can be possible when they exercise their franchise. Kitty’s metamorphosis may be more directly attributable to last year’s general elections than the promise of Friday’s LGE and it raises an important and worrying issue. To what extent did central government influence the rapid rejuvenation of the market, the responsibility of the city, and wasn’t this clearly with an eye to boosting the fortunes of APNU+AFC candidates at Friday’s polls?
Nonetheless, Friday’s elections will represent a long-awaited rising of local governance after 22 years of neglect, underfunding, deterioration of services and infrastructure and diktat from central government which saw many councils being unceremoniously replaced by interim councils filled with handpicked supporters of the then PPP/C. Local governance had essentially ground to halt.
A new dispensation is now in the offing for municipalities and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs). All of these councils will now have greater access to the resources that they need to run their affairs rather than having to be beholden to central government. The Fiscal Transfers Act formalises the basis upon which monies have to be transferred by central government to the councils based on a formula related to the number of people residing within. This will remove arbitrary allocations by the government which are often influenced by political motives. The city, other municipalities and the NDCs will also collect their rates and taxes as normal and will have greater freedom to institute revenue raising measures which could further secure their finances and deepen their financial autonomy from the centre.
No longer should these councils have reruns of the Carol Sooba fiasco that paralysed and scandalised city hall for months. Personnel matters will be handled differently under the Local Government Commission Act and the powers of the minister entrusted with local government responsibilities, now the Minister of Communities, is vastly reduced as it relates to interfacing with the councils. The councils will therefore have much greater control over their affairs than at any time since 1970 and so the basis has been well laid for potent control over all matters within the delineations of each council’s boundaries.
Roads, bridges, garbage collection and sanitation are some of the key areas that the councils will have no excuse for poor performance. It will be left up to the citizens residing in the various council areas to hold their councils accountable and responsible. Citizens can do this from the get-go this Friday. They can elect the best council possible to set them on the path to better services. They can vote for councillors on the basis of some type of track record notwithstanding the fact that for the past 22 plus years no one has had to be held accountable in these matters.
The hybrid electoral system being used for the first time in this year’s elections allows voters to choose half of the councillors directly in the First-Past-The Post (FPTP) system. The various candidates seeking these seats should have been campaigning in their communities over the last few weeks. In the days remaining, citizens should do their utmost to become acquainted with who their candidates are and where they have to vote by visiting the Guyana Elections Commission website at www.gecom.org.gy. The photos of the various candidates will also appear on the section of the ballot paper pertaining to the FPTP election to help refresh the memories of electors. The person who is eventually elected councillor then becomes the conduit through which citizens can have an impact on council matters. This councillor would be expected to take the concerns and complaints of residents to the council and have these ventilated and acted on.
Citizens are now being given a tangible mechanism to help shape how their communities are managed. They however have to keep the most important end of the deal – they have to vote on Friday and stay engaged.