APNU seeks solution to local government crisis

Georgetown : Leader of the Opposition Brigadier David Granger, commenting on the recent installation of IMCs, said that it was evident that the local government system was in crisis. Mr. Granger said that residents were not being consulted and that local democracy was being trampled upon. Little regard was being shown for the Regional and Neighbourhood tiers of government.

 A Partnership for National Unity’s team consisting of Brigadier David Granger, M.P. Mr. Joseph Harmon, M.P., and Ms. Deborah Backer, M.P. met with President Donald Ramotar, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon and Presidential Adviser on Governance, Ms. Gail Teixeira at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday to discuss the crisis. The Alliance for Change was invited to participate in what should have been a tripartite meeting but did not attend.

 At that meeting the Opposition Leader raised a number of issues, including the arbitrary transfer of neighbourhood overseers; dissolution of Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and installation of the new Interim Management Committees; allocation of resources for Regional Democratic Council Demerara-Mahaica Region (No. 4) and local government reform and local government elections.

 The two sides agreed that Bills relating to local government reform would be re-introduced in the National Assembly before the 10th August recess so that progress could be made towards holding local government elections.