APNU Councillor Heston Bostwick has tabled a motion that if passed could see councilors sanctioned for “gross misconduct” against the Mayor.
Asked to explain the reason behind the motion, Bostwick told Stabroek News that since he has been a councillor he has seen many of his peers behaving disrespectfully. “I come from a disciplined party and I’m not here to tolerate indiscipline from anybody…persons are using words which are being easily expunged when we all took an oath to respect the law much more so Chapter 28:01,” Bostwick added.
The motion, according to Bostwick, will be used to address the behaviour of councillors both in and out of statutory meetings.
“If in the opinion of Mayor or presiding officer a councillor says or does anything to bring council in disrepute or disrespect the chair they can be sanctioned. You are here to be a disciplined councillor and to demonstrate discipline and respect for each other,” he explained.
The oddly-worded motion calls for any councillor or officer of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown who conducts themselves “in any manner to the Mayor or Presiding officer member that is deemed to be gross misconduct to the Mayor or Presiding Member of the City Council” to be sanctioned according to sections of the Municipal and District Council Act Chapter 28:01.
The motion invokes the oaths taken by councillors to abide by the laws of Guyana under Chapter 28:01 and references Sections 27 to 31 of that Act, which it states “gives clear guidance with regards to misconduct of any member/councillor.”
The copy of the Act which Stabroek News was able to access from the website of the Ministry of Communities did not have this guidance in the sections mentioned.
The motion which was scheduled to be debated yesterday was deferred after Councillor Monica Thomas, who seconded it, left the meeting early. Bostwick had first made mention of the motion at the statutory meeting of March 27.
At that meeting, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green had lashed out at outgoing Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan—who was absent—and PPP/C Councillor Bishram Kuppen, whom she accused of peddling false information about her and had threatened to take legal action over attacks on her character.
Her comments were made after a number of councillors including Bostwick pointed out that the council had been receiving negative publicity, which they suggested was being channelled by colleagues on their personal social media pages.
Councillors stated that not only do their colleagues’ personal views affect the image of city council but also every councillor sitting around the horse-shoe table.
It was on this note that Chase-Green said, “Every day my name is being called for things they have no evidence of… I am not the one signing the cheques and vouchers. I don’t handle the city money.”
The Mayor called on councillors to desist from making false allegations against her.
With the backing of the councillors representing APNU, she stated that none of the allegations have since been proven as there was no evidence of irregularities. “I could challenge each and every councillor in here if y’all want and none of them could take me on! …Nobody will push me out of this chair. I will go when it is my time to go,” a visibly-upset Chase-Green had said.
She said if councillors continued to defame her, she would take legal action against them and would be forced to invoke disciplinary action under the Municipal and District Councils Act, which she noted permits her to have anyone removed from statutory meetings or even the City Hall compound if they are found to be out of order.
In addition, Town Clerk Royston King had claimed that sections of the media were also involved in tarnishing the image and reputation of the council. He had said that from all indications it would seem as if media houses had an agenda to break the public’s confidence in the council.
