THE Parliamentary Select Committee reviewing the key bills required for local government elections is to meet again, today, and, according to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Ganga Persaud, it is one step closer to completing its review.

In an update on the status of the Committee’s work, he said it made a great deal of progress at the previous meeting last Friday but, despite rumours to the contrary, the process is not yet complete.
Persaud disclosed that, from the government’s point of view, there were still some very contentious issues contained in the draft bills for local government reform.
He said the move by the Opposition to transfer some of the powers of the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development to a Local Government Commission, is one sticking point.
Persaud said the Government’s side opposed it on the ground that it would be ridiculous to give the Minister responsibility but little or no authority.
He said, too, that the Opposition was seeking to give the proposed Local Government Commission certain roles and functions that are not part of its remit.

CANNOT DETERMINE
“For example, the Commission, in itself, cannot determine the budget of the local democratic organs.
There are limitations to what that body can do. They are proposing actions that will work against enhanced decentralised authority,” the Minister stated.
He maintained the government’s position that the Opposition needed to ensure that whatever was proposed did not conflict with existing laws.
Persaud said: “We are requesting that we do not create a legal environment that is chaotic, that is so conflicting that it robs the ordinary citizen of the joy of participation and replaces that with confusion and lawyers in court all the time.”
Of the contentious aspects of the legislation, he said:  “Some of these, I guess, will find themselves in the report to Parliament that will be presented by the Chairman of the Select Committee.”
The Committee is under pressure to finish its work so that local government polls can be conducted this year and Persaud is convinced that a lot of progress was made at the last meeting.
“I think all of us at that meeting were very pleased with what we achieved. We hope that the meeting this week Friday (today) will take us closer to that stage where we can say we have completed our work at the level of the Select Committee,” he added.
When that procedure is concluded, the bills would have to be taken back to the National Assembly for passage before being sent for Presidential assent.
Following that, notice can be given to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for the holding of Local Government Elections, Minister Persaud said.