Dear Editor,
Various media headlines are being punctuated with the screaming, excuse-laden, ‘spoilt child’ tantrums of the PNC and their opposition cohorts’ futile efforts to frustrate GECOM’s hosting of the overdue Local Government Elections (LGEs).
The PNC’s actions must be widely rejected and condemned! Their target is to make a mockery of the Local Government System in areas perceived to favour PPPC support, while their consistently overwhelming error is to confuse the ‘One Guyana’ Agenda. This is not about PPPC support areas, but concerns improved service delivery to all Guyanese!
History confirms that the PNC never wanted to contest LGEs. GECOM records contain many blots and blank spaces concerning LGEs during the twenty-eight years of PNC dictatorial governance leading up to 1992. During this period, any affirmative actions in this respect were merely effective hopeful afterthoughts. PNC obviously will continue to dodge and regurgitate flimsy positions aimed at delaying the inevitable.
One should note that the first LGE – after decades of absence, when the dictatorial PNC rule – was held in 1994 under the PPP/C Government. The PNC’s dilly-dallying has since been in place.
It is necessary to highlight the hypocrisy of those suddenly-emerged writers who have only recently managed to acquire refills of ink for their dried-up pens. Those persons were silent when the power-hungry PNC in the APNU/AFC coalition, with very short notice of finalisation, increased the Local Authority Areas by 10, to 80. There was no complaint of illegality when the PNC also changed Constituency boundaries without the necessary consultations to off-balance the PPP/C. Then several communities voiced serious disagreements with the gerrymandering of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils’ boundaries by the Government through the Ministry of Communities, and the condemnatory writers of today had no ink.
It is important to note that in some of the new areas created by the PNC/APNU/AFC, no systems were put in place to ensure the sustenance of service and support of the citizens through the collection of rates and taxes etc. Consequently, the PPPC’s timely action through Hon. Nigel Dharamlall, Minister of Local Government, to reverse the created anomalies is justified.
By law, the Minister of Local Government has responsibility for demarcating the geographical boundaries while dividing the country into Regions, Municipalities, Local Authority Areas or constituencies. On the other hand, GECOM has a demographic or administrative responsibility to facilitate the holding of elections in a smooth and timely manner. As such, GECOM may, administratively and collectively, agree that a division has too big a population, and then ‘sub-divide’ that division to expedite and facilitate easy voting on election day.
The PNC’s proclivity to use underhand methods seems to have pushed their current orchestrators out of touch with realistic positions. Hence, they must educate themselves that electoral geographical boundaries are to be demarcated by the Minister, and demarcation of the electoral divisions for the electors to vote is the responsibility of GECOM.
It is without contention that Article 72(2) of the Constitution empowers the Minister to define and/or modify the boundaries of neighbourhoods and People’s Cooperative Units within the neighbourhoods and the establishment of Local Democratic Organs.
Significantly, it must be noted that, in 2016, the PNC went about LGE without any consultation with the PPP/C. Again, in 2018, the bullies, PNC/APNU+AFC, in addition to the ten created new Local Authority Areas, made changes to the boundaries in fourteen other areas. Although the gerrymandering of boundaries was carried out with the PNC and the GECOM staff, the PPP/C swept the polls and won comprehensively by more than fifty thousand votes. Even in some of the newly established towns, such as Mabaruma and Lethem, and in several New NDCs, the PNC and the AFC were humiliated.
The PPP/C’s massive victory at the LGE polls prompted the PPP/C to move the Motion of No Confidence against the APNU/AFC Government. The PPP/C is fully prepared to face the polls, while it is a known fact that PNC Opposition elements are very afraid. Their plans didn’t pay off, and the new LAAs didn’t deliver to them the expected votes, because the PPP has made inroads.
Now it is necessary to strengthen our communities to deliver the required level of service, and our people must be allowed to elect their leaders at the local level.
The PNC, under the poor and fragmented leadership of Aubrey Norton, would be humiliated at the next LGE. Hence the PNC will continue to make all sorts of objections to not contest the LGEs.
GECOM is aware of the trickery, and must proceed with the election without any further undue or unnecessary delays.
Sincerely,
Neil Kumar
