Mayor of Georgetown Ubraj Narine has accused the Ministry of Local Government of seeking to micromanage the Georgetown City Council after it asked that status reports, including information on finances, be submitted on a monthly basis.
Narine made his position known to Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall after he received a memo from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Prema Ramanah-Roopnarine, requesting that the council submit several reports as part of new reporting requirements for municipalities.
Narine in his letter, stated that “I will concur, if you can point me to the legislation which demand such.”
The memo to the council requested that it submit a monthly status Report on all Projects within the Municipality – Inclusive of a Monthly Subvention Status Report-due by 9.00am every Monday; Monthly Financial Report; Monthly Minutes of Statutory and special meetings; and Accountability Framework report due the first Monday of every month.
In the memo, the PS stated that “in order to efficiently execute my function, it has become even more necessary for me to have relevant and reliable information from all ten (10) Municipalities.”
But Narine saw the request as part of actions to usurp the authority of the Council and he added that micromanagement will not solve any issue at the City Council. Instead, he recommended that the minister update the laws and bylaws to better equip the City Council.
However, the Minister, in a brief comment to Stabroek News, stated that a copy of the letter was sent to all the municipalities by the Permanent Secretary. He noted that the Georgetown Mayor and City Council is yet to submit its budget for approval and added that it is his belief that Mayor Narine is being an obstacle to transparency within the council.
Narine, who noted that the council is guided by the Municipal and District Councils Act, added that he believes that the minister is stepping out of his boundaries to control the municipalities.
He explained that his reply was addressed to the Minister rather than the Permanent Secretary since he views the matter as a political one.
Narine further revealed that the council is yet to receive its subvention for the year 2020 and 2021 as well as stipends for his office, the office of the Deputy Mayor and the Town Clerk.
He disclosed that while it is an ongoing practice and the right of any municipality to give a report once it has received a subvention, the Council still awaits the subventions intended for it.
