Dear Editor,
The fragility of the Government failed local government policy, is being embarrassingly exposed by the elements. Many parts of Georgetown, Eccles-Ramsburg and several Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC), are experiencing and have reported a significant accumulation of flood waters with the sprinkling rains. The reality is that the continued undemocratic parliamentary suppression and stifling of the elected councils in Local Government Areas (LGAs), will not camouflage the failures.
The Communities Minister is talking up in the media, about his 2018 Budget, which provides $110 million for the functioning of the Local Government Commission (LGC). This is indeed shameful as the elusive Commission is still to get its footing, in contemplation of taking off functionally. The recent budget debates woefully exposed the amounts appropriated may be insufficient to pay the Commissioners at the salaries published in the Gazette, and certainly deficient to fund full operations. At the same time, the Commission’s members have been holding meetings at Parliament Building.
It is of note that the new Property Value Assessments next year, is certainly a sneaky and clandestine operation of the Communities Minister. Minister Bulkan and the Finance Minister have spoken extensively regarding the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change’s (APNU/AFC) interest in ensuring property value is current, to improve LGAs rates and taxes. Concurrently, the former delays budgeted subventions for these areas; and without mentioning the impact these would have on Property Taxes payable to the Guyana Revenue Authority.
How much more burden can our people bear and why is it that these people feel they have a right to treat citizens as idiots?
It is very serious that the inability of the Commission to function properly will lead to more frustration and the numerous unsolved issues at the LGAs. Even before the approval of the LGC, several NDCs have complained bitterly about the role of some political stooges as administrative staff members to the councils that are being protected by the Minister for being disruptive.
Recently, the overseer at the Soesdyke NDC bungled and one member of the Council was not invited to the annual election to elect the Chairman and Vice Chairman. As a result, there are serious problems and the elections held should be nullified. There are numerous issues to solve at the NDCs and the fact that the 2016 Local Government Elections was never completed is a matter of serious concern.
Relevant to the completion of any elections it the fact that nothing much has come from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) since President Granger imposition of his Government’s advisor as the new Chairman. Yet we have noticed that an APNU Commissioner of GECOM is now talking about a national integrated database. Is Commissioner Vincent Alexander the new mouthpiece of the institution?
One may admit however, that every effort must be made to keep the list of registered voters current; and that integration with the Deaths and Births Division will be useful. It is however no panacea and his silence on the urgent need for a thorough house to house registration to produce an acceptable Register of Registrants could be construed with undercurrent motives.
It is a fact that thousands of electors are not registered at the place where they are living as citizens continue to move housing wise and in search of jobs. As a result, the thousands of transfers that were never done must now be corrected with a genuine house to house registration to produce a proper voter list where these details can meaningfully represent the regional content.
Importantly also, for many persons who have died, their information is often never properly documented at hospitals or reported to the Deaths and Births Division. The house to house approach is definitely an approach of absolute validation.
In the context of databases, Commissioner Alexander must then tell this nation whether he is aware of, or why is it that the Information Technology Department at GECOM was not working since before the 2015 Regional and National Elections.
The fact of the matter is that Guyanese must not be subjected to, nor must our people accept any form of rigged elections.
Sincerely,
Neil Kumar
