Local Govt Commission
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, has said the Local Government Commission will be established after the Parliamentary Opposition has completed consultation with political parties represented in the National Assembly.
He disclosed on Wednesday that the list of names sent by the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, to Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan has been questioned, as there was no consultation before the selection.
According to Harmon, the Opposition Leader is required to consult with the political parties in the National Assembly before creating and submitting a list of names of persons nominated to serve on the Local Government Commission.
Harmon said, “I believe that now that the Leader of the Opposition has written to the political parties in the National Assembly, they are now working on how that list will be constructed.”
The Local Government Commission will be made up of eight members: four nominated by Government, one nominated by unions operating in the local government sector, and three nominated by the Leader of the Opposition. When established, this commission will have oversight over the various local authority areas in the country; be responsible for appointing officials in the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) and local authority areas, and have responsibility for approving budgets for the NDCs.
After the Leader of the Opposition had submitted a list of names to Communities Minister Bulkan, the minister had responded by asking for a clarification on how the names were chosen. Former acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba and former Local Government Ministers Norman Whittaker and Clinton Collymore had been nominated as the PPP’s representatives on the Local Government Commission.
