WITH preparations under way for holding local government elections this year, Guyanese can finally look forward to a renewal of a crucial arm of democracy.

Local government elections were last held here in 1994 and this has meant that this system of governance at the grassroots level has almost disintegrated over the last 15 years.

Some of those still in control of bodies entrusted with effectively dealing with problems at the village and town level have become almost fossilised.

As a result, grievances in communities that should be addressed at the local government level pile up and residents often have to seek redress from central government or the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

It is this situation that led President Bharrat Jagdeo to declare last year during a Cabinet outreach in Berbice that a renewal of local government bodies was direly needed.

He said functional and functioning local government bodies with people committed to the task could easily fix problems at the community level.

No wonder the government has been pressing for new local government elections to, as President Jagdeo noted, “put new people in these bodies who will look after the interest of the communities”.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is compiling the electoral roll for the polls, urging registered and eligible voters to ensure their names and other details are on the register.

And when the current claims and objections period is over, it is scheduled to launch its voter education programme for these long-delayed elections.

We expect that the commission will lose no time in mounting a comprehensive voter education programme, using mainstream media and other dedicated outreach means to get the message over to voters.

Given the gap since the last local government elections were held, many people will not know what these polls mean and how the outcome could affect their day-to-day lives.

They need to be fully apprised about how the new local government system will work so that they can make proper choices in the polling booth.

Political parties will be putting up and vying for their candidates and they will be getting the message out to their constituents.

But individuals and other organisations can also run for office in these polls and voters need to be acquainted about all the choices available to them.

Guyanese have come a far way from the fear and violence that accompanied national elections between 1992 and 2001 and voters no longer cast their ballots fearing the outcome.

Democracy has become entrenched in the land to such an extent that international observers are no longer needed to ensure free and fair polls and we expect that it will be no different with the forthcoming local government elections.

The problem is that many people are still in the dark about what local government elections will mean to their governance and it is up to GECOM to lead the way among stakeholders in shedding light in this area.