ACCORDING to Sunday, January 4, 2009 Kaieteur News “Kellawan Lall cleared to order mayoral elections,” the minister is seeking to have elections for Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Chairmen, and Deputy Chairmen of Neighbourhood Democratic Councils after councillors are fed up with dictatorship rule. Many councillors have resigned, died or stopped attending meetings for years. Only the yes men remained. This was indeed the situation confronting all the Councils in the country twelve years ago.

Out of the spoils yielded by the system some benefits did indeed trickle down to those below. It is improbable that this came about as the primary objective of the local government system. And in any case, only those who hugged the soup bowl were likely to be favoured by these Chairmen and Mayors. The idea that those who controlled the apparatus of the Municipalities and NDC’s feel therefore it is none of the business of the government to seek to modify the system so as to give every grass root individual an equal starting chance. The imbalances within the system impose constraints, friction and inhibitions which render it an unacceptable one for developing nations which have more to do and less time within which to do it.

The people vote at periodical elections but, for the rest, they seem to look on from the outside. They may criticise the actions of local government officials, but they do so as spectators. They do not do so through any acknowledged right to be considered as part of the daily decision making process of the local government system. The great forces which control the economy upon which their welfare is dependent are largely beyond their reach. Hence, their contributions are not as constructive as they might be. In effect, there is much formal democracy, but little practical democracy with the old wine in new bottle in the coming local government elections.
MOHAMED KHAN
Former Deputy Mayor.