WE have written several opinion pieces on the historic return of Local Government Elections, its significance, and what it means for the furtherance and consolidation of national democracy, with its central role of returning the choice of decision-making into the hands of citizens at the grass roots level.
Today, we feel compelled to further reiterate the thrust of the government’s central theme of this constitutional exercise that is just as important as national and regional elections. We begin by underlining the stated fact that Local Government Elections are not about winners or losers, or party politics, but instead should focus on citizens in the respective municipalities, and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) coming together by selecting those persons who are of integrity, good competence, and honestly committed to working together with their respective locales and citizens for socio-economic betterment.
This has been the campaign message of, particularl, President David Granger, leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) segment of the coalition government, and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, representing the Alliance for Change (AFC) that is contesting the elections on its own platform.
For the first time in the history of competitive politics in Guyana, with specific reference to the current Local Government Elections campaign, constituents are being challenged to ascend to a higher ground of bipartisan understanding for the best results for their respective communities.
Both at Corriverton and Rose Hall, the President was emphatic when he reiterated that it was not about voting for which political party, but it was about selecting the best possible representatives. “There is no point putting back people because they belong to party A and party B. I am asking you to put the best people because they are good for Rose Hall”… “He also admonished, “Not to put lazy people who come from your party, not to put your cousin and your aunty, but to put people who are concerned with the economic development of Rose Hall Town” … “We don’t want a municipality that will have to call Freedom House to do one thing or the other; we want a democratic municipality, the President said at Rose Hall.
Indeed, these are very strong but significant statements, which although containing a tincture of partisan politics, for this is an election campaign, break new ground since it heralds a new vista in a country that has been bedeviled by the unhelpful negatives of deep partisanship that continues to flow from that poisoned chalice of ethno politics.
Undoubtedly, these are not only statements, but are also implicit appeals to all citizens of Guyana, from whatever administrative region, and community, to remove themselves from the shackles of a decrepit brand of politics that have not benefitted the material needs of their communities, and instead embrace the new dawn of the untold opportunities which the holding of local government elections offers.
This call to a new understanding and acceptance of democracy at the grass roots level is about fashioning a new maturity which understands that it is about garnering the best talents from the communities, irrespective of race and political affiliation, and be prepared to work together for the whole and not specific sections of any community. This is a seminal step which has to be taken by citizens with regards to their individual communities, in terms of choice for representation, for which there must be no ambivalence.
A municipality and NDC that has good, vibrant, and competent leadership of integrity will be able to deliver results for their respective town and community, because of being able to involve their fellow citizens in the decision-making process. The opposite will certainly make for stagnation and decay, with citizens being denied the services which they should have.
Guyanese are matured enough to understand what heavy reliance on political party dictates, coupled with ethno partisanship, has produced for most communities: Incompetent leadership, corruption of all sorts, and stagnation. It is only the right leadership that can avoid such a continued tragedy.
