DEPUTY Speaker and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) front-bencher Basil Williams, on Monday night, committed to “relinquishing” the problematic clauses in the Local Government (Amendment) Bill which was not assented to by President Donald Ramotar.

Mr. Williams called on the Speaker of the House, Mr. Raphael Trotman, to identify the mechanisms for having the Bill brought back to the National Assembly.
“We are saying that though the Constitution is silent on mechanisms to bring it back to the House, you have the power to bring it back so we can resolve whatever apprehensions the President has,” Williams stated.
According to him, the Bill does not exceed its six-month limit until May 2014 and moves can still be made, in the interest of facilitating local government elections.
The Speaker committed to consulting with the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Sherlock Isaacs, to address the issue.
The contention of the Head of State is that the Local Government (Amendment) Bill is unconstitutional, as it seeks to vest control of local authorities in the Local Government Commission and remove ministerial responsibility for them.
Constitutional provisions

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Anil Nandlall, in a previous interview, had said the Constitution of Guyana establishes a Local Government Commission and stipulates its functions, responsibilities and powers and the amendments to the Bill went far beyond constitutional provisions.
“The Bill was amended to increase the powers of the Commission far beyond the powers granted by the Constitution, rendering it ultra vires the Constitution. Also, various provisions of the Bill were amended by deletion without the insertion of any mechanism to fill the void created by the deletion,” Nandlall stated.
The AG maintained that the Local Government (Amendment) Bill was not essential for the holding of Local Government Elections.
Local government polls were not held in Guyana since 1994 and, prior to then, in 1970. Subsequent to 1994, the elections could not be conducted because of the coincidence with the general and regional elections of 1997.
Additionally, Parliament passed an amended Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2013, which states that voting must be held on or before August 1, 2014.
Written By Vanessa Narine