Local gov’t reform still on slow road

After nearly three months the task force on local government reform is yet to resume its work, putting the completion of key reforms on hold and ruling out long overdue polls this year.

Clinton Collymore

PNCR representative Vincent Alexander said the task force has not met since July 22, when his co-chair, PPP/C representative Clinton Collymore, asked for leave in order to deal with party business. According to Alexander, since that time there has been no communication from Collymore. As a result, the PNCR has written Collymore, expressing its concern about the situation. Collymore has confirmed that he received the letter and said a statement would be issued shortly. “There is more to the mortar than the pestle,” he said cryptically, “You can quote me on that.”

Local government elections have been due since 1997. It was hoped that with the completion of the task force’s work, the polls would be held this year. The task force has been trying to complete reforms since 2001. After a hiatus due to the break in dialogue between the two major parties, the task force was re-established in 2003 to complete recommendations on an appropriate electoral system for future local government elections, an appropriate system for making annual fiscal allocations to the local government bodies and determining the terms of reference for a constitutional local government commission. So far, work is all but completed on the new electoral system, under which constituencies are to be created within municipalities and neighbourhoods, accounting for 50% percent of the seats while proportional representation will account for the remainder. Additionally, there has been progress on the system for fiscal transfer – which aims to ensure that budgetary allocations are disbursed equitably to the local government organs – though there are a number of issues that still need to be worked out. Meanwhile, the Local Government (Amendment) and the Local Government Commission Bill, have been under review by the Attorney General’s Chambers. The bills are expected to reduce ministerial duties within the local government system, investing them instead in neighbourhood democratic councils, municipalities and other local government organs. Village councils are also expected to be resuscitated, while community councils will be introduced.

Vincent Alexander

Throughout its tenure the task force has been plagued by numerous stoppages. In the intervening period, the functioning of many local government organs has been severely affected.

Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall recently said the local elections are unlikely soon. “All the scenarios so far indicate we cannot have elections this year,” he told the National Communications Network in an interview. “Hopefully we can have them early next year.” He explained that the Guyana Elections Commis-sion (GECOM) would not be ready to run any polls this year. He said GECOM is still creating the new national register of registrants, from which the voters’ list will be drawn. But Alexander, who is also a member of GECOM, has said that the commission’s work to prepare for the polls is dependent on the work of the task force.

GECOM completed a new national voter registration exercise in July and is currently completing the processing for the creation of a new National Register of Registrants, from which the voters’ list will be generated.

GECOM reported that 430,746 persons were registered during the exercise. GECOM has already encoded the registration data as part of the development of the new National Register of Registrants, which will be completed after checks for possible multiple registrations. A contractor has been identified and GECOM is currently awaiting access to donor funding for the fingerprint cross-matching analysis. After the process is completed, the new National Register would be created and National Identification Cards would be produced and issued to all registered persons.