Dear Editor,
Much evidence exists of the increasing dysfunctionality being encouraged and created by the coalition Government in the Local Government system. The weakening of governance systems is now ever present across the length and breadth of Guyana and comes as a sacrifice of the cohesive and developmental gains that could have been achieved.
I justifiably, condemn and will continue the exposure of the wicked intent of the Government’s partisan, disruptive and clearly unproductive agenda. Regrettably, the Government’s approach is glaringly visible through their deliberate, callous and presumptuous circumvention of the roles of legitimately elected Councils in our Local Authority Areas (LAAs).
These Government excesses of power, obviously, negatively impact and contradict good governance practices. The results are far reaching and linked to a certain permanent social deterioration. Certain constitutional elements guard against these excesses, such as the meaningful functioning of a semi or fully autonomous Local Government Commission (LGC).
Since the delayed establishment of the LGC in October 2017, the nation has not heard much from the Commission itself. It leaves one to wonder about the approach to what the LGC needs to be doing? Clearly, the Commission needs to make citizens aware of its difficulties and move to remedy the emerged alarming incidences under its mandate.
The general media has candidly made the public aware of the numerous reported violations and breaches of financial and other regulations by Government empowered Regional Executive Officers and Town Clerks. More so, Government officials have been either silent or shamelessly attempted to cover for the blatant misappropriation and mal-administration by these officers. Fraud and more fraud is taking place in the LAAs and apparently, nothing is being done to prevent this lightening fast growing epidemic.
The associated pervasiveness of the foregoing will never benefit residents of communities and all citizens at large. They are also not uncommon when with the rules are applied in a partisan manner, and being convenient bent in favour of a particular political party or for a selected few. As expected, the situation is fuelling greed and its associates’ impediments as the agents of the State embark on a get rich quick syndrome, rather than ensure acceptable governance.
The weakening of the Local Government system in light of the Government’s approach cannot be denied. Only recently, Councillors from the Linden Regional Democratic Council joined the bandwagon of public commentators against the excesses.
More serious is the fact that so-called contractors, are allocated work to do which they can never complete. Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) is experiencing the highest turn-over of Regional Executive Officers and Town Clerks. Recently the once ‘discarded’ Mayor of Linden, Orrin Gordon was appointed as the Regional Executive Officer (REO) in Region 10. This appointment did not have the blessings of the LGC and is a blatant disregard by the Communities Ministry in not allowing the LGC to do its work.
Further, the members of the Region 10 Regional Works Committee are accused of soliciting money from the public and persons expressing interest in bidding for contracts. Many are of the view of what happened with the Chairman of the Works Committee in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).
As for the Georgetown municipality, the Mayor and Town Clerk have become tourists of immense extravagance, while mismanaging the City’s finances.
Minister Joseph Harmon must not turn a blind eye to the unsatisfactory parking meter issue because the general public would not. It is public knowledge that before the ‘Gang of Four’ left this country to finalise the parking meter deal, they had a meeting with the ‘bosses’ at the Office of the President and the big General Secretary of the People’s National Congress was there at the meeting.
The Public Accounts Committee is recommending that all the corrupt Regional Executive Officers and Engineers must be booted out of the System. It is clear that the corruption in all these Ministries and State departments are getting worse and the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change coalition Government is doing nothing to deter same. The situation must be corrected!
Sincerely,
Neil Kumar
