TWO MONTHS after the stalemate following government’s decision to appoint leaders for the local government bodies that saw a tie in votes at the elections in March, the People’s Progressive Party-Civic said it is willing to negotiate with the administration a way forward.Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan had appointed Mabaruma’s Mayor and chairs of five Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) following ties in these bodies at the Local Government Elections.

Government had said that an offer was made to the Opposition PPP/C in which the latter would have had the right to elect the senior posts in local authority areas based on the plurality of votes, but this was rejected by them.

The PPP subsequently filed for the orders in the High Court on the basis that the minister acted contrary to and in violation of Municipal and District Councils Act, Cap. 28:01. Justice Diana Insanally granted an interim order quashing the controversial appointments. The orders were filed by PPP/C Member of Parliament (MP) Attorney-at-law, Anil Nandlall on behalf of fellow MP Zulfikar Mustapha.

Attorney General, Basil Williams had noted, that the court action filed by the PPP/C quashing the decision by Bulkan to appoint Mabaruma’s Mayor and the five NDC chairs at Woodlands/Farm, Woodlands/Bel Air, Malgre Tout/ Meer-Zorgen, Gibraltar-Fyrish and Industry-Plaisance was a case of misinterpretation of the law. He has since challenged the orders.

Meanwhile, at its weekly press briefing on Monday PPP, General Secretary, Clement Rohee said the party is willing and ready to revisit negotiations of the tied Local Authority Areas 2016 after Local Government Elections. He noted that in April 2016, negotiations failed to resolve the impasse on the elections of Chair/Vice-Chair and Mayor/Deputy Mayor of the Councils of tied Local Authority Areas. The negotiation failed according to Rohee because the President David Granger government declared an ultimatum of ministerial appointment if the PPP/C did not accept the administration’s position of non-rotation of the Chairman/Vice-Chairman and the Mayor/Deputy Mayor in the tied LAAs that would be shared.

Also, these proposed office-bearers would serve for the entire term of the Council, Rohee said, noting that those positions were not acceptable to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and its non-acceptance lead to the Granger government moving to appoint the office-bearers in all of the tied LAAs. He said however, that subsequent developments have led the PPP/C to propose and support revisiting negotiations between PPP/C and the Granger government over sharing the positions of principal office-bearers in the tied LAAs.

“Primary among these developments is recognition of the plight of the residents of the tied Local Authority Areas in not having a functional Council since the Local Government elections. Another factor is GECOM’s failure to timely manage its Constitutional responsibilities of managing elections that statutorily are due whenever ties in the Councils of LAAs occurred.”

According to Rohee, equally important was the decision of the Granger government to “impose and execute their solution instead of negotiating and despite the wrong-doings that would ensue with Ministerial appointment in contravention of the applicable laws. The plight of the people at the grass-roots will decide and justify the PPP/C’s subsequent position. The PPP, in the interest of these residents in the tied Councils/Local Authority Areas, is signaling its willingness to re-engage in negotiations with the Granger government over the resolution of the impasse of Councils of the tied LAAs.”

Bulkan had told a news conference that Government would have preferred an accommodation and a political solution, explaining that the administration had proposed that on the basis of plurality or in cases of ties, the party obtaining popular votes would be given the right to elect the chairpersons or the deputy chairman. That offer was however was not accepted by the PPP. Under the offer, the PPP would have been entitled to appoint the chairman and deputy of the NDCs at Malgre Tout/ Meer-Zorgen, Woodlands/Bel Air and Fyrish/Gibraltar.

On the other hand, the Government would have had the final say at Mabaruma, Industry/Plaisance and at Woodlands/Farm. Bulkan said that it was following the non-acceptance of the offer of compromise in accordance with democratic principles and in the interest of not allowing the PPP to dictate and determine the pace of reform and rehabilitation within “this damaged and system of local government, that we decided that the business of councils must proceed expeditiously.”