On September 17, 2013, the Minister in the Minis-try of Local Government, Mr Norman Whittaker wrote to Mr Orrin Gordon, the Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of Linden notifying him that the government had revoked the Kara Kara road toll. The toll had provided an important stream of revenue for the town and the IMC and other Lindeners are opposing this decree by the minister.
The kindest interpretation that can be put on the move by Mr Whittaker’s ministry is that it represents the flailing of an intrusive local government system in the throes of expiry. It was a most extraordinary act by the ministry; one that betrays a total lack of respect for local organs and reflects that the government learnt nothing from the Linden unrest last year about how to defuse potential areas of conflict.
In a notice in sections of the media, the Ministry of Local Government attempted to explain the decision. It said that after having been in existence “for many years” – it appeared not to have been able to find out how many – the Kara Kara toll order was challenged by a “stakeholder” who protested to central government and urged a review. The ministry provided no
