APNU/AFC fully responsible for woes of the city

Dear Editor,
Over the decades, the municipality of Georgetown was always won and controlled by the PNC, PNCR and now the APNU/AFC coalition, in which the PNCR holds the largest controlling representation. Their representatives have always held overwhelming voting control as elected Councillors, and have largely controlled the key Administrative Committees which effected planning, implementation of projects and evaluation of performance, regarding the services required for citizens of our capital city. It cannot be denied, that their high level of continuous mismanagement has been replicated in the miserable failure results for decades.
The controlling influences in this APNU/AFC Government prove that they are hell bent on running this municipality as a one-party dictatorship until it becomes non-functional.
Their behaviour actually addresses the continuance of the one-seat majority tempo used in the National Assembly while in Opposition, as they sought to use every good project as a bargaining chip or bury it. The results were so impacting in 2015 that they found themselves in the same hole they dug to bury the projects. They now demonstrate that they do not have a clue about getting out of it.
It is utterly repulsive that the Georgetown municipality did not conduct their election for the year 2017. By law, all the municipalities and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) must conduct their internal elections where Councillors would elect all the Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and the Mayors and Deputy Mayors before the end of December of every year. However, the eye-pass continues in total disregard for the law of this country. The elected Councillors should be ashamed of themselves and wake up to earn some measure of respect.
The ingrained administrative failures and misappropriations that have resulted from the PNCR manipulations at City Hall justify the need for a forensic audit and a Commission of Inquiry.
When the APNU/AFC took office in 2015, the M&CC had a positive bank balance of $180 million, but that was not for long as the present Administration has spent ‘Wild West’. Information received indicates that the Councillors were given fake statements and reports when they sought details in preparation of the Municipality 2018 Budget.

In addition, the Councillors were asked to consider the statements without any proper explanations.
Further, inside sources informed me that the staff strength at the M&CC is more than 1000. Given that the monthly payroll is in excess of $130 million, why is everything that is being done contracted out to private contractors?
It is also known that the Georgetown M&CC owes millions of dollars in deductions from workers’ salaries for remittance to the GRA and NIS. Utility companies such as GPL and GWI are also owed even as monies continued to be expended with very little accountability as to when these payments would be made.
As the residents and businesses are asked to pay more in taxes, other miscellaneous fees are imposed on them, including fees for garbage collection, while the services provided continue to remain poor and sub-standard. Various areas in the city and its surroundings that the municipality has responsibility for continue to be flooded despite the millions of dollars that were expended over the last two years to address the drainage issues. Negligence is the order of the day and the commitment to provide the necessary services to the rate payers is been put aside for more monies to be spent on overseas travelling and benefits for the elite few at the Council.
The APNU/AFC leaders on the Council are fully responsible for the woes of the city. The AFC, like the PNC, has proven that it cannot be trusted, as the promises have turned full circle and are now held like the swords of Damocles over our heads.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar