Linden’s Mayor Sharma Solomon has expressed the municipality’s disappointment at the Local Government Commission’s (LGC) unilateral appointment of PPP/C activist Lennox Gasper as the new Town Clerk of the municipality without consulting the Linden Town Council.
Solomon in a press and video statement yesterday said, “The Mayor and Town Council of Linden is deeply concerned and disappointed that the Local Government Commission (LGC) has unilaterally appointed a PPP/C political activist, Mr. Lennox Gasper, as the new Town Clerk of the Municipality of Linden, without following the prescribed process and without the Council’s involvement, consultation or approval.”
Solomon said that this action directly contradicts the Constitution of Guyana, the LGC Act, and the Municipal and District Councils Act. He says that he firmly believes that the LGC’s failure to follow the prescribed process in this appointment is a clear violation of established legal frameworks and undermines the principles of fairness, transparency, and good governance. In the video and press statement, Solomon reminded that Article 75 of the Constitution of Guyana guarantees elected local government officials the power to make decisions.
Solomon further pointed out that the Council knows the employment process involves several stages which include notifying the LGC of the existence of a vacancy; LGC’s approval for the Council to advertise for the vacancy, advertisement is done either internally or externally or both; upon the receipt of application(s) the Council and a representative of the Local Government Commission engage in a shortlisting exercise to select suitable candidates; selected candidates are invited to interviews; successful candidate is employed (approved by the Local Government Commission).
“In the employment of Mr. Lennox Gasper… the Council notified the Commission of the vacancy to which the Council provided a clear three-point plan for employment, it received correspondence under the hand of the Commission’s Secretary, the imposition of Mr. Gasper as appointed Town Clerk”, according to Solomon. The mayor said it is noteworthy that the three-point plan included that the file containing previous applications be revisited to select a suitable candidate to fill the vacancy; shortlisting and interviewing of candidates, and the most suitable candidate be selected; and that the most senior officer at the Council acts in a position that allows the above to occur.
According to Solomon’s statement, “The Council believes that any reasonable Commission would have agreed that in the interim the third option would have been employed with the selection process commenced and concluded. However, in the case of this employment, the Commission chose to ignore even its own circular and made a unilateral appointment. The position was not advertised, and no applications were submitted but an appointment was made, and worse of all, the person appointed happens to be the PPP/C’s spokesperson for the region. How much more shameful can this be,” Solomon asked.
LGC’s actions undermines democratic process
Solomon also said that the LGC’s actions has undermined the democratic process and the rule of law, and has caused significant confusion and disruption within the Linden community.
“The Council strongly rejects this political appointment and demands that the LGC immediately rescind it.” The Linden Mayor assured that Council is committed towards upholding the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and good governance. He made it pellucid that “The Council will not tolerate any action that undermines the integrity of the local government system or the trust of the people.”
“In the days immediately preceding this appointment, the Council through letter engaged the Secretary of the Local Government Commission, in an effort to find common ground. The Council reiterated its position which was a resolution emanating from a duly conducted statutory meeting and is legally binding and enforceable as it is a decision of the Council. To date, the Local Government Commission has not responded and has not taken any steps to rectify this blatant variation from established and accepted norms of the employment process. The Commission, for its part, seems to be taking political directives and this can only serve to erode the democratic process and undermine the constitution of Guyana,” the statement noted.
“In light of this malicious act of the Local Government Commission, the Council wishes to note that this same Lennox Gasper was the campaign manager and Mayor hopeful under the June 12, 2023 Local Government Elections on the PPP/C slate. This slate lost. The Local Government Commission must know that making such an appointment constitutes a conflict of interest.” Solomon asserted that the Commission is taking political instructions, as this act seems to coincide with the recent utterances of the General Secretary of the PPP/C who said his government will not work with elected officials but will work through persons and interest groups. According to him, the Commission has acted consistently with this direction. “This action seeks to torpedo the successes and work of the Council in the short months since it was elected to office. The people of Linden can and will attest to the development works being done by the Council in all eight constituencies,” Solomon said.
“The residents of this beautiful town must, rest assured, that this Council will continue to work for and with you to ensure that the service delivered continues to improve despite the antics and political moves by the PPP/C to hinder the progress and developmental agenda of this Council and Linden. In all of this, the Council must also point out the most salient point that even the resignation of the former Town Clerk… was tendered to the Commission and not to the Council. The Commission must say why said letter was not sent to the Council, and why so much secrecy behind the resignation and the appointment.”
Solomon said the Council is currently seeking legal advice and exploring all available options to address this situation. In the meantime, the Council urges all residents of Linden to remain calm and to continue to support the democratic process. “The Linden Town Council remains committed to upholding the principles of good governance, accountability, and transparency in serving the interests of our community. We will continue to advocate for adherence to legal processes and standards in all matters related to local governance,” he said.
