The National Assembly last evening unanimously passed another piece of legislation that would postpone Local Government elections for yet another year.
The Local Authorities (Amendment) Bill 2010 second reading was piloted last evening in the House by Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall and makes provisions “for the next local government elections to elect members of the local democratic organs” now to be held on or before December 1, 2011.
Since general elections are scheduled for next year it is highly unlikely that Local Government Elections will be held next year, it was said during the debate on the bill.
Lall told the National Assembly that the administration would like to see elections being held as soon as possible. He said that there have been some challenges in the process but stated that in the recent past progress has been made with the Task Force being abolished and the bills being brought to Parliament and taken to a select committee. He said that some bills have been passed in the House. He mentioned too the concerns mentioned in the extra parliamentary forum. “We have some time to deliberate on these matters” and said that the matters raised concerning the bills already passed will be looked at.
He said that there were some concerns raised during some extra-parliamentary discussions which he said the government will be willing to consider should they be presented in writing. Lall later clarified that these extra parliamentary discussions took place between President Bharrat Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Robert Corbin.
The bill says too that “notwithstanding anything in section 2 or in any other provision of the Principal Act, the Minister may on request of a local democratic organ or on his instructions authorize the holding of the election at any time for the election of a Mayor, Deputy Mayor or a Chairman or Deputy Chairman of a local democratic organ.”
“We are here again on this annual pilgrimage”, PNCR-1G MP Basil Williams said yesterday. He expressed concern that the legislation dealing with reforms of the local government system did not come to the house as a package.
He also pointed to the fact that next year general elections are scheduled to be held and the law says that where the two elections clash priority is given to general elections.
AFC MP David Patterson said his party placed the failure for the non holding of local government elections to date solely in the hands of the government.
He said last years the administration rushed two bills to Parliament saying they were urgent to allow GECOM to make preparations, but these are still languishing. He said too that the Select Committee last met on 29th November, 2009.
Meanwhile, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali said that it was not fair to accuse the government of stalling the process and said that when the matter moved away from the Task Force to the Special Select Committee the Opposition parties walked away from the process. Regarding the issue of five bills coming to the House simultaneously to be passed, Ali said that in the interest of time this may not be feasible. He urged the Opposition members to work with the government in the select committee.
Local Government elections have not been held since 1994.
