THE Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development plans to step up its voter education exercise, with an aim of spreading out its activities.

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, at a recent press conference, said now that the Budget Debate and Consideration of the Estimates have ended, the ministry’s plan is to target a ‘wide spread’ of the population in these exercises and to conduct them with greater ‘frequency.’
Late in 2013, the ministry began targeting regional officials in training exercises in a move to sensitise them about the four local government bills that were passed in August 2013, in the National Assembly, relating to holding of the election.
The ministry’s exercise also targeted creating awareness among the local stakeholders, who also form part of the participants at the exercise as it pertains to the new electoral process that will govern the election.
“We go to communities, we go to villages, we do not ask which political party you belong to or whether you are interested in local government elections, we just do voter education,” the minister said as he reinforced the ministry’s commitment to its duty of educating the public about the procedures relating to the elections.
The four bills that were passed are: the Fiscal Transfers Bill, the Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill, the Local Government Commission Bill and the Local Government (Amendment) Bill.
In November 2013, President Donald Ramotar assented to three of the Bills, withholding his consent to the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, citing unconstitutionality.

(GINA)