Dear Editor,
Your correspondents Tony Vieira and Mike Rahman (SN, Aug 8) address the unconstitutionality of the PPP`s actions regarding the non-holding of local government elections (LGE) and of Minister Whittaker`s utterly ridiculous statement that the majority of Guyanese do not see the need for such elections as a priority, respectively. Earlier in an article appearing on INews on August 7, Clinton Urling founder and head of the Blue CAPS organization is quoted as saying that he is of the view that LGE should precede general elections. All three gentlemen are clearly seized of the realization of the importance of having functioning local government, local decision-making and local democracy and its ability to fix broken and neglected communities. Mr Urling is quoted as saying that “Local elections will give citizens a closer and more accessible say in the conduct of public affairs that affect their lives and communities than at the centralized national level.”
It should now be abundantly clear to all Guyanese, however, that as long as the PPP are the government, no local decision-making will be permitted and hence there will be no local democracy. It’s as simple as that! Editor, the constitution provides for 3 levels of local democracy and outlines same. These are (a) Regional (10 regional democratic councils), (b) Municipal (6 municipalities) and (c) Neighbourhood (65 NDCs). While it is well known that the life of the latter 2 bodies have not been renewed since 1994, the same is not true for the RDCs whose democratic credentials are intact, having been renewed simultaneously with general elections. The RDCs, however, are not being allowed to function; they have been totally sidelined by the central government, since 1992. Why then would it be different with the municipalities and NDCs even if newly-elected? The same steel heel and iron fist of the Minister would be applied against these councils. Local government elections, therefore, will achieve nothing as long as the PPP is the executive. The imminent general and regional elections, therefore, which are now expected to be held by the first quarter of February 2015 will be, among other burning issues, a referendum on local democracy. Guyanese will now have a real opportunity to determine if and how much they value local democracy and wish to see constitutional provisions relating to same, being honoured. They have already seen what the PPP has to offer. APNU has, in weekly articles in your paper over the past 5 months, laid out its position unambiguously with regard to local democracy. In our column of July 24, 2014 titled ‘Ireng-Sawariwau neighbourhood yearns for local democracy’ it says in part, the following : “A Partnership for National Unity is committed to reasserting the autonomy and authority of local democratic organs as defined by the Constitution. Under democratically-elected councils, the solution to local problems will be the responsibility of community leaders elected by the community. The role of central government will be to partner with NDCs and municipalities, not to control, micromanage and dominate as the PPP/C is currently practising. The PPP`s attitude of confrontation will be replaced by cooperation and collaboration. APNU commits to a covenant with residents to engage them in every aspect of community development. Hence the conceptualization of projects and programmes will take on a ‘bottom-up’ character. Citizens will be encouraged to express their opinions without fear of reprisal.”
APNU will take a simple message to the electorate which is for them to see the direct link between choosing a government (top half of the ballot) and a regional or local government (bottom half of the ballot). In other words if you want the latter then this will determine your choice of the former. We will then see if MessrsWhittaker and Rohee, and Dr Luncheon and the PPP mandarins and sahibs are correct in asserting that the people are not interested in local government elections or local democracy.
In the meantime I would like to think that Mr Urling and the Blue CAPS organization can begin to spread the word that if we want to see community renewal, revitalization and rebirth, that this would only come if we have David Granger and the APNU in government.
Yours faithfully,
Ronald Bulkan
