Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green is bracing for a fight against a move for the holding of mayoral vote that could unseat him.
Last Monday, Good and Green Guyana (GGG) Councillor Llewellyn John tabled a motion before the council seeking a resolution to clear the way for internal elections for mayor and deputy mayor. The motion has been seconded by PNC Councillor Oscar Clarke. Clarke has been tipped to be Mayor with John as deputy, succeeding Robert Williams in that post.
The motion is expected to be debated at tomorrow’s statutory council meeting and, if passed, Local Government Minster Kellawan Lall will almost certainly order the holding of polls as the administration has long been dissatisfied with Green’s stewardship of the municipality. He has been mayor since 1996, remaining in office while local government elections have been serially postponed.
“It is a lot of political manoeuvring,” Green told Stabroek News. “The government wants to get rid of me because I have been opposing them.” He said the amendment to the Local Authorities (Election) Act, empowering the Local Government Minister to order the holding of mayoral and deputy mayoral polls, was passed with the intention of unseating him. PNCR leader Robert Corbin had opposed the amendment in the National Assembly.
“We feel they [the polls] are long overdue,” said John, who is now a central executive for the PNCR in Region Four. He added that the democratic principle dictates that elections be held. “The PNC wants to follow the democratic principle.”
Although local government elections have been delayed, John has continually argued that it could not affect the holding of polls for mayor and deputy mayor which is done at the council level. He sought previously to move a similar motion, citing Section 11 of the Municipal and District Councils Act Chapter 28:01, which stipulates that anyone who has served for five successive terms as mayor is ineligible to contest for re-election. By John’s computation, Green has served nine terms.
In 2002, Town Clerk Beulah Williams sought an opinion on Green’s eligibility to contest for re-election from State Counsel Lakshmi Shiwnandan, who indicated that he might not be.
The law states that even if their terms are expired, both mayor and deputy mayor shall continue to hold office until there are successors. As a result, Green could conceivably argue that since the council did not hold annual elections, he has been serving an extended term and he did say yesterday that he was “absolutely” eligible to contest the polls.
According to Green, his opponents do not seem to understand the “bigger issue,” which he said was the government clearing the municipality of the opposition. Instead of interfering with the council, he said, the government should get on with local government reform and the holding of delayed polls. “This is a distraction and persons in the PNC and the GGG are being caught up in it,” Green added.
Local government elections have been due since 1997. The government and the main opposition PNCR have been attempting to hammer out agreements on local government reform in keeping with the recommendations of the constitutional reform process. A joint task force has been working on the reforms since 2001.
John was originally a member of Green’s GGG party, which won 12 seats at the last municipal elections, while the PNC won 10 and the PPP/C eight. The GGG, however, has been factionalised over the years, lessening Green’s chances of winning the vote. Although Green has been readmitted into the PNCR, he said he is likely to contest the polls on the GGG slate, though he mentioned that talks are ongoing among the parties.
power to the people
the people of georgetown must vote on who they want
Look I dont know about anybody else but I think Mr Green and all the other old politicans in guyana should pack up and leave the running of the country, and city to younger and more forward thinking guyanese who I am sure can , and will do a better job in running the country in a upward direction onlike where it is heading right now we need young politian who do not have the same old thinking come on mr green just take a rest you are way be on your time you had your days to do good when you were green, I mean young instead you waste 28 years doing nothing much spending your free time with known thugs of the past and bullying people with the power you had then when you were the strong arm of the PNC , you should have done a little more good back then, even now you running the city off the map I know the PPP want you out a long time ago, now they will get you because you have no idea how to govern a capital city no money in the coffer, no pay for workers and the list goes on all those overseas trips and you have now learn anything that will help you run a city hope you pay with your money , take a break by the way I was a former member of the YSM so I know what I am saying move on comrade green.
Jagdeo,the minister of finance and others have not been good examples of the young people.(I am in my early 30’s so watch your reply……LOL)
I have never been big on Hammie Green, but this is not about Hammie; this is about a deliberate manipulation of the Local Government system for pure political reasons. The government and the PNC have collaborated to 1) allow Hammie to serve in the hope he would not be unemployed and create problems via the frustrated and angry, 2) that he would grow old and politically irrelevant, and 3) do exactly what they are doing right now: TRY TO GET RID OF HAMMIE!
This has nothing to do with the people of Georgetown or else in the past 10 years these agitators could have done what they are doing now! Think about it! The PNC is in bed with the PPP to discard Hamilton Green, and this is why Hammie is fighting back: he thinks he is being unfairly attacked.
If the PPP and PNC cared about Georgetown, they would never look to replace Hammie with Oscare Clarke and Llewyn John, who are ancient political relics just like Hammie from the Burnham PNC era! Think about it! The Old Guard is trying to make a come-back by collaborating with the enemy, but they must be defeated and Hammie Greem must only be replaced in a genuine constitutionally staged LG election for mayor. If he is constituionally eligible to run again, then he should not be barred. Let the PEOPLE, not the PPP and PNC, decide his fate!
We need back our garden city – lets the changes be
We need someone who can do the job, Green must go!!!
Local govt elections are overdue and this is not the way to go about it. I believe with local govt reforms and elections,Green will not run for re election.
Come on people,do it the right way. What sense replace the heads of a broken system. Reform the damn system. Corbin why are you sitting on ur hands and allowing this to happen? Are you in agreement?
Green,John and Clarke these three old timers are around since i was a kid selling New Nation. That’s over 200 years of experience but what good is the experience if they don’t have the drive to get the job done.
The M&CC og Georgetown continues to be progressively transformed into a ‘Micky Mouse Club’. It is a travesty to deny the people of Georgetown, their constitutional right to elect their leaders and give it to the people who has continually failed their offices and the Citizens of Georgetown. Give back the citizens of Georgetown, their constitutional rights, ‘Hold Local government Elections
FINALLY. Thank God we finally getting rid of Hamilton Green who did nothing for the city except see it get “green” – the overgrown bush all over the City.
Green should not have been Mayor in the first place.
The people of Region #4 should vote -it is the voice of the people. If Mr Green as Mayor did not get the cooperation from the government and the town clarke not much he could have done.
The PPP Government have the Town Clarke control the budget and the Mayor being used as a rubber stamp. A system has been created by the PPP Government that the Town Clark say which work has o be done and must be done. Which part of the world the Town Clark in control.
Michael your proposal to the Government was thrown away, you are very disappointed with the Government and you have said so many times. So for you asking that Green should go it is only when you wear the show you can tell how it fits. The Government wants to take control of Region four.
Absolutely, I agree.