The Local Government Commission on Monday advertised the position of Overseer for the Port Mourant/John’s Neighbourhood Democratic Council after the Opposition last week blazed it for the appointment of the current overseer who it said was handpicked by a senior government official.
An advertisement appearing in the Guyana Times said that there was an overseer vacancy in existence at “the Port Mourant/John’s NDC.”
Applicants, it said, must be between the ages of 18 and 45 years old, and must have at least 5 subjects at the CXC including English Language and Mathematics with Grades 1, 2, and/or 3, or no less than 2 years’ experience in a similar position or management. Additionally, applicants must also be computer literate.
Last week APNU+AFC upbraided the PPP/C government for being “lawless” due to what it said was the unlawful appointment of the present overseer at the NDC.
In a statement, APNU said that “the Opposition condemns the unlawful appointment of Ms. Umawattie Ramnauth as overseer at the Port Mourant Johns Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).”
According to them, despite being elected as a councillor in the June 2023 Local Government Elections, “she was appointed as a paid staff by the Local Government Commission upon the instruction” of a senior government official.
“Her appointment to the position of overseer, which comes with a monthly salary, violates the rule of law and the rights of constituents at the hands of the NDC, the Local Government Commission and the PPP government”, the opposition said.
The Opposition said it stood in solidarity with the councillors who have “bravely raised their voices against this blatant abuse of power…”
“We commend their efforts to uphold the law and demand that swift action be taken to reconstitute the Local Government Commission to address this and many other issues within the local government system in a principled and impartial way”, the opposition said.
The opposition called on all stakeholders to join them in advocating for good governance, accountability, transparency and the promotion of morality, and decency at all levels of government.
