Local Authorities Bill signals strong inconsistency, duplicitous nature of Govt (Pt 1)

Dear Editor,
The recent tabling of the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2018 by Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, signals the strong inconsistency and duplicitous nature of the Coalition Government regarding preparedness for Local Government Elections (LGE).
Speaking at the media briefing held at Herdmanston Lodge on January 08, 2018, Minister Bulkan had indicated that Government had allocated $2.9 billion for the holding of LGE, and had touted that the elections would be held some time before December 2018. Given that, under the Local Government Act, the statutory period for the Elections would soon be due, he posited that the preparation for LGE lies largely with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
The sudden new amendments which the Government has moved to push in to law contradict the framework, which was at the time hardly sufficient. At that time, a chairman of GECOM had not yet been selected, and the conundrum of activities that followed toward the unilateral selection utilized vital time for the GECOM to get critical work going.
The new amendments are, at this critical juncture, designed to cause further delays and confuse a system of familiarity, for which both GECOM and citizens will have to be made acquainted. The proposed suggestion of allowing the overseers and the involvement of a designated magistrate to resolve issues of ‘ties’ in Local Government Elections is lawless and wicked. It merely seeks to camouflage the shameless, undemocratic decisions made by Bulkan, which still have the 2016 elections unfinished.
In the 1994 Local Government Elections there were ties; and GECOM, in keeping with the law, held ‘By-Elections’ to resolve those issues. The Bill that Mr. Bulkan is taking to Parliament manifestly expresses the APNU/AFC’s intention to take away the citizens ‘rights’ to vote and elect their local representatives under circumstances of ties. The situation absolutely highlights this coalition Government’s intention to corrupt this country more and more. The Judiciary is an independent ‘arm’ of any good Government, and should not be dragged in to cover up the inefficacies of a GECOM not fully covering its role and purpose.
It is accepted that the Parliament will have full debate on all the matters that go to the National Assembly, and then a decision would be taken. The Cabinet is ‘purely’ political, and the APNU/AFC Cabinet can take its partisan deep-seated party position. The President, however, must recognize that the other two arms of the Government are not political, and must not be allowed to be blind to the PNC’s fantasy. The Judiciary must be allowed to be independent.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar