A Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) project Town Hall-style meeting, aimed at edifying the populace about the local government system, saw only eight persons show up to participate.
Chief of Party for the LEAD Program Glen Bradbury subsequently said that it seems that his agency would have to plan for another day of meetings.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Christopher Jones, who was present at Queen’s College for the meeting, said that he believed that the public was not properly notified and suggested that social media forums be used to notify the populace. He said that it was only on Sunday night that he was made aware of the meeting through a Facebook post.
However, Bradbury noted that in other communities the meetings were well attended and received. He has also said that he was quite pleased with the public interest and attendance at a recent Rose Hall meeting and was particularly impressed by the level of positive feedback he received and interaction with the audience.
According to Bradbury, participants were engaged about learning more on local government and of the importance of participating in elections when they are held.
The Town Hall meetings are public forums. They provided information on the structure of local government in Guyana, the responsibilities of local governments and the procedures through which local government elections are conducted.
LEAD officials have said that the information used during the Town Hall meetings is derived primarily from publications obtained from the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom).
According to the US Embassy, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers has also completed a draft booklet, entitled “Local Government and You,” which will be made available to the general public. Its contents are also based on information obtained from Gecom. The LEAD program has used the information in the booklet to create a handout focusing on the more salient points covered in both the booklet and at the Town Halls, including a guide to the local government voting process.
