Dear Editor,
In March 2016, Guyanese were given an opportunity to vote in the first Local Government Elections (LGE) after a 22-year hiatus. This year, citizens were afforded the opportunity to participate in the elections again; twice in three years, a historic feat. These elections allowed thousands of young people, like myself, to cast their votes in the local polls. It not only allowed us to vote, but to participate in the process. Youths became Mayors, Town Clerks and held other key Local Government posts. It was amazing, to say the least, to see youths going from door-to-door, campaigning, sharing their vision, and more importantly, wanting to be part of the management of their constituencies.
For the first time, in just three years all our hinterland regions now have towns, providing equal opportunities to all to be part of the local government system. The Local Government System is intended to be a major institution for the transferral of power to the people for the purpose of socialist development. All local government activities must be aimed at improving people’s living standards as well as their cultural and environmental conditions. During the past three years we have seen many levels of development by virtue of the local government system. The people have a voice, democracy is alive. Additionally, the Local Government Commission is up and running and the Guyana Association of Municipalities was resuscitated. Becoming the first Mayor of Bartica and having participated in three internal elections in three years, is testimony to the strengthened democracy we now enjoy in this beautiful country of ours Guyana.
This however, is no surprise to me since the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the largest partner in the coalition government, holds constant regional party elections. These elections allow the party’s members to elect leaders to manage the party’s local groups.
I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate all our new mayors and their deputies and most importantly the hundreds of young people who are now part of the local government system. We are now servants of the people. Let’s celebrate the democracy afforded us with success. I close with the words of Abraham Lincoln:
”As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”
Yours faithfully,
Gifford Marshall
Mayor
Municipality of Bartica