Dear Editor,
The government should be given credit for calling local government elections one year after assuming office. This election was due 19 years ago under the former administration which is now in the opposition. Regardless who wins the election, local democrarcy has been restored to the grassroots people and their communities. This election was different from the general and regional elections, since it was contested within the confines of the boundaries for the neighbourhood democratic councils and the municipalities.
It was not the winner take all system; the PPP has claimed a massive victory in the elections, but the truth is that APNU+AFC won most of the municipalities and control of the city. This is because the previous administration had neglected Georgetown and starved it of resources. As soon as the coalition got into office it got to work and started to clean the city of 23 years of garbage and rebuild the infrastructure to avoid major flooding. This, I suspect, has caused the voters to vote APNU+AFC. The coalition also won all the new municipalities of Bartica, Mabaruma and Lethem, making inroads into PPP strongholds in some instances.
In Region Two the boundary runs from the main canal to the Atlantic Ocean; those who lived beyond the boundary of the main canal couldn’t vote in the local government election unlike the general election. Most of these people are the Amerindians who have their own village council elections outside of the local government elections. The PPP has always won the 4 NDCs and the only municipality in Region Two, but on two occasions lost a seat in the general and regional elections. What was disappointing, however, was the low voter turnout on election day.
The election will bring to the fore the need to provide for practical democracy as distinguished from formal democracy; that is to say, to provide for greater people involvement in the daily process of decision-making. The councils will now consist partly of persons elected directly by voters of the NDCs and municipalities. The councillors will elect their mayors, deputy mayors, chairmen and vice chairmen. The councils will therefore consist of people taking an interest in local government matters on a basis which definitely relates their selection to the people’s will.
It is evident that there will be tremendous challenges ahead and rising expectations from the opposition party councillors, mayors and chairmen. They need to put all their differences aside and work for national cohesion and national unity at the council level for a better Guyana. APNU+AFC must work more militantly and not just accept that it is business as usual. APNU+AFC should take note: their supporters are beginning to lose faith in them. The party organizers did a poor job in their campaign in sensitizing the public and the voters; they waited till the last minute to kick off their campaign.
For me, an analysis of the situation must take us beyond the results. APNU+AFC must go back to the drawing board; looking back at the results and the voting patterns, we can see clearly that race is still alive. People did not vote on issues, they voted race, although their communities were neglected for the past 19 years, there were several floods and no services were provided to them. I hope the newly installed councillors, mayors and chairmen will put aside party politics and work for the betterment of their communities.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
