In light of the recent controversies surrounding the recently held Local Government Elections, the Local Government Commission will be established soon.
Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, whose Ministry has responsibility for local government, told Guyana Times on Wednesday that the commission is expected to commence its operations “before the end of June”.
The Minister further explained that the appropriate site to house the facility is still being sought after. “The problem is location; we are feverishly looking around for a suitable premises,” the Minister noted.
This long-awaited commission will be tasked with oversight over the various local authorities, rather than have directives issued by the Communities Minister. It was previously reported that the commission will be able to monitor and assess the performance of the local government organs, administer disciplinary action and implement policies such as tax collection.
At a post-election press conference on March 19, Minister Bulkan had stated that the operationalisation of the commission was expected to be “fairly imminent”. He had also noted that the appropriate Government property to house the commission was identified and stressed that a rental may have to be paid. Bulkan had announced last year that the body will be established and be operational on ‘early’ 2016.
After a 22-year absence, Local Government Elections returned with a turnout of just over 47 per cent. The ruling A Partnership for National Unity /Alliance For Change coalition won six out of nine towns and the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic claimed 28,000 more overall votes than the ruling Administration.
