…on Local Government reforms
Citizens have just been able to get rid of that ink they dipped their index finger into at the LGE and they’ve already discovered another slip between the cup (of promises) and the lip (of delivery) from this Government. In case you forgot, Dear Reader, LGE weren’t just to get your finger dirty – they were supposed to return you to the centre of governance. You’ll do that by having representatives who answer directly to you – ‘cause they’re literally never far from you.
And since they lived in your community they’d fix whatever was broken on the assumption “only those who feel, know”. They wouldn’t have to bow and scrape anymore to the Minister of Communities – who ruled on high from afar. Very afar. So what happened right after the elections to THAT promise? Well, as we mentioned before, in Georgetown APNU/AFC filled every position on the all-important “Finance Committee” with their own folks and blanked the independents. Even though these independents live in the communities in which they won their seats, it’s clear the APNU/AFC Councillors believe they “feel more” so they “know better”.
One letter writer noted, for instance, that they might “know better” who should get all the plum contracts and whose rates and taxes needed to be reduced. The new “Chief Citizen” Patricia Chase-Green, might be able to guide them since she was there at the left hand of Hamilton Green and definitely “felt more” – of the graft.
Now comes another “same ole, same ole”, when Minister of Local Government (now Communities) Ronald Bulkan takes it upon himself to decide who’d be the Mayor of Mabaruma and Chairman of five NDCs. How could he do that? The law’s very clear in cases of a tie in the vote by the Councillors – which is what occurred – the Town Clerk or Overseer has to call another election. But then, maybe Bulkan “feels” more than those who made the law and “knows” more than them, no?
The irony about this kind of hubris, of course, is the Minister of Communities was supposed to be eased out of LG since his powers were devolved to a “Local Government Commission” (LGC) by an Act of Parliament. But who cares about laws? Well, the Court does! And they’ve just issued an order reversing Bulkan’s Executive overreach. Unless he can show that he is above the law, of course. And now we know why there’s no LGC!
All of this is very depressing for APNU/AFC partisans who might’ve hoped for real change following the LGE after 23 years.
But not for most Guyanese who know you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.
…on Code of Conduct
Everybody and their Uncle are throwing stones at Harmon on the cross of corruption created by the Kaieteur News. All kinds of cockamamie “reasons” are being proffered by all sorts of experts for their charges – but they ignore the reason offered by your Eyewitness from the beginning of the farce. It all has to do with Brian Tiwari – the successful cousin of Glenn Lall – being able to develop a relationship with the new Government through Harmon. Hell hath no fury than the founder of FUCOP scorned.
But there’s another elephant in the room everyone’s ignoring. If the Government had issued the Code of Conduct it promised “in the first 100 days”, we’d all have objective reasons for evaluating Harmon’s actions. Remember?
“A Code of Conduct will be established for Parliamentarians, Ministers and others holding high positions in Government public office to abide by including mechanisms for demitting office if in violation of the Code of Conduct.”
In the absence of a Code, some just pursue personal vendettas.
…on Photoshopping
The Chronic’s now identified who’s responsible for the “Photoshopping of Social Cohesion” on its front page.
Will the PM’s water boy now apologise for his snide comment that “holdovers” from the PPP days did the dirty?
