Bulkan seems reluctant to submit to constitutional checks and balances

Dear Editor,
I happened to have read the well-articulated letter by Norman Whittaker in another section of the media captioned “The Government employing manipulative tactics to suppress work of Local Government Commission” and am in full agreement with the general tenor of the letter. Using Whittaker’s word, out of the “bowels” of our Constitution, Article 78 to be exact, the people through their representatives saw it fit to establish a Local Government Commission, not as a rubber stamp constitutional body, but as one that functions and carries out its role as per the wishes of the people.
The problem in my opinion appears to be a President, through his politics creates the Communities Minister, Ronald Bulkan, who seems reluctant to submit to a constitutional system of checks and balances. These are the characteristics of a creeping dictatorship. This was exactly how Burnham started out until he moves to the point of rigging elections to keep himself in office by a process of selection, rather than election. Is this what President Granger is attempting to do today? To subvert the work of the Local Government system until they all become subservient to his diktat?
The work of the Minister has outlived its relevance constitutionally once the Commission was appointed in October 2017. Thus, I struggle to comprehend the level of political insecurity of President Granger. After all, the Chairman of the Commission is a die-hard People’s National Congress man, Mortimer Mingo, who I believe is quite capable of doing his master’s political bidding.
Why can’t President Granger respect our Constitution that mandates the Commission “to deal with, as it deems fit, all matters relating to the regulation and staffing of the Local Government organs”. Why six months after their appointment, we have a situation where Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, a political creature of President Granger, is undemocratically usurping the role of the Commission?
The people in their wisdom did not authorise a singular political creature to be in charge of our Local Government system, so how dare Granger overturn their decision? Why this inconsistency from President Granger? Isn’t he the one who unfailingly claims that he is a staunch adherent to the Guyana Constitution so why is he breaking the rules today? Or is it a case of do as I say but do not do as I do? These acts of gross hypocrisy from President Granger must be exposed and opposed and he must know that there is no room at the top for untruthfulness, non-transparency and deception.
The question of the empowerment in accordance with the Constitution of the Local Government Commission is of all importance now that we are set for a December 2018 Local Government Elections. Guyana has had enough of these stale minds and demands a boldness of spirit from President Granger that will allow a thousand new flowers to bloom by allowing the system to function according to the wishes of the people. What President Granger and Minister Bulkan are practicing is akin to that of pouring new wine into old skins and leaves a bitter taste of democracy Burnham style, where only the wishes of the “Kabaka” mattered.

Regards,
Sasenarine Singh