We must strengthen our regional, local government systems

Dear Editor,
Guyana, as a country, is poised to take off, given the recent oil and gas productivity, the accompanying massive international investment interests, and the domestic expansion into food productivity guarantee areas on which the Government has embarked, for which we must ready also our people. Growth and development are likely to spiral exponentially for the benefit of all Guyanese if we as a nation can work in unison within our democratic framework.
Given the massive March 2020 Elections dilemma which threatened all the foregoing possibilities, it is critical and necessary that we use appropriate review of our electoral systems to simplify and make more equitable several problematic issues that lend themselves as major threats. The situation allowed the fertilization of ethnic strife to overwhelm revered constitutional ideals and the aggrandizement of personalities interested in greed seeking power to overcome the bigger picture for our dear country.
In the case of the structure and formula for the Regional Elections, the current list of electors for some regions is extremely disproportionate to the representation and service offered per capita, and distorts the true impact of public policy for all citizens in the region. In Region 4, for example, thousands of citizens who cast their votes for the Region 4 list of Regional Candidates are not the actual beneficiaries of the regional system of service and governance. This is given that the Georgetown Municipality performs this role for those in Georgetown who find themselves falsely influencing which party representative should provide service to the areas outside of this central domain in Region 4.
The situation is replicated in areas like Region 10, where the heavy central-based Municipality voters impact the determination of representatives of those dwelling in the riverine expanses of the region, although many of the elected representatives neither dwell in of may have never even travelled, to the various regions.
The egregious situation therefore neither establishes an effective balance of economic support or distribution of resources, while political orchestrators often manipulate and take advantage of the false ineffective representation.
It is the rational belief of many that the usefulness of this approach has been outlived with the rise in population and slow urban expansion that is now on the threshold of change. The time has come to divorce the major municipalities from the regional cover in considering a more effective regional formula. If Georgetown and Linden voters are to be instructive in determining who represents Regions 4 and 10 respectively, the consideration must be given to these townships falling under the direct responsibility of the Regional Administrative Councils.
It is noteworthy the deliberate roles played by clearly contaminated GECOM operatives to strategically and biasedly manoeuvre around the bumps and pitfalls. The Keith Lowenfield and Clairmont Mingo et.al. fiasco has been woefully exposed, particularly by the called delays in the counting of the Region 4 votes as well as increasing occasions of the gerrymandering of constituency boundaries outside of the major municipalities to create advantages for the PNC.
Regarding the Local Government system, there is an oversight relationship between the Regional Council and the Neighbourhood Democratic and Village Councils. Although the latter two have limited independence concerning accountability for financial expenditure, the reporting role of the Overseers and Village Leaders to the Local Government Commission and the Ministry of Local Government is instructive in this respect.
However, the performances of many of these Councils has been sub-optimal, with some lacking the capacity to confront breaches of the applicable laws and by-laws. Others have suffered from vagaries and vastitudes beyond the control of the Councils, necessitating a total relook regarding approaches to strengthen them. The role of GECOM in the three-year cycle of running off elections to determine New Councils will also have an impact, given the loss of credibility of key officials in the Secretariat of the institution.
Of note, the Ministry of Local Government as required by the applicable laws is presently running off the annual elections for the Neighborhood Democratic Councils for the determination of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen. This is a clear message across the country that we should have Local Government Elections when it is due, thereby upholding the democratic pillars of allowing citizens to have a definitive say in their community development.
Important in this regard is the fact that the elected Councillors are particularly constituency councillors, and although we have the party system, there are clear cases that some candidates win because of their popularity. Hence, in all NDCs, for effectiveness, it is teamwork that matters most in creating the synergies necessary in supporting the leadership role of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman. This is pivotal for cohesion and development in the communities and to springboard community benefits and a legacy that people will forever talk good about.
The role of GECOM in the scheduled 2021 Local Government Elections is a HUGE question given the catastrophe of March 2020 General and Regional Elections. It is heartening to know that the PPP/C Government announced that it will budget money for the holding of these Elections. The fact that no firm action has been taken by the Chairman and Commissioners regarding those GECOM staff who have publicly demonstrated their unworthiness of continued employment at the organization is extremely perplexing.
It is of significant concern that we are now witnessing a plethora of GECOM advertisements in the widely circulated dailies concerning Local Government Elections, while the PPPC Commissioners at the Commission have not been a part of any of the approving discussions. It is quite disgusting and objectionable that GECOM may be attempting to repeat the build-up to the March 2020 Elections. Hopefully, it is not the contaminated CEO and PNC Commissioners again making all the decisions. GECOM must not and cannot administer any elections with the same staff, particularly those in the GECOM Secretariat who are currently facing serious charges for elections fraud.
The Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield must be removed from GECOM without any delay. The nation is looking to see if he would be part of the transactions of the many ‘Advertisements” in the news media. The five- month vicious ordeal that GECOM staff, particularly Keith Lowenfield, took this nation through must never be erased from our memory. The is the time to quickly resolve the intolerable situation at GECOM and commence all necessary reforms. Why this nation is waiting on the ‘forensic” audit of GECOM financial transactions over the last seven years? Why we cannot have an audit of GECOM staff?
The Operational activities at GECOM must be transparent and accountable! We must strengthen both the Regional and Local Government Systems to match our likely expansive growth and development.

Sincerely,
Neil Kumar