… President tells Mayors

ASSURING that Local Government Elections will be held in 2018, President David Granger on Thursday called on local government organs to be inclusive and effective in the execution of their mandates while representing the masses.

The Head of State made the call seconds after swearing in the newly elected and re-elected mayors and deputy mayors at State House in the presence of Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan; Ministers within the Ministry of Communities, Valerie Adams-Patterson and Dawn Hastings-Williams; and Permanent Secretary of that Ministry Emil McGarrell.
He said town councils are an important part of the tripartite system of Government, explaining that the Government is at the helm of the system representing the nation as a whole, while the Regional Democratic Councils are at the regional level. The mayor and Town Councils and the Neighbour Democratic Councils form part of the local level.

All organs, President Granger emphasised, must work in harmony for the good of the nation.
“All three levels must work together if we are to deliver the quality of life that our citizens desire and our citizens deserved,” he said, noting that leaders whether at the local, regional and/ or national levels should not refuse to cooperate because of their political affiliation or geographical location.
“All three levels must work together for the common good,” he emphasised.
Additionally, in the eyes of the President, Local Government organs should embody three basic characteristics: representative, inclusive and effective.

RESTORED
When the historic Local Government Elections were held for the first time in more than two decades on March 18, 2016, the representative characteristic of Town and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils were restored, he said.
In addition to Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Corriverton, Linden, Rose Hall and Anna Regina, the Local Government Elections brought into effect three new towns: Mabaruma, Bartica and Lethem.

It is the Government’s intention to have a capital town in every region providing critical services in the areas of health, public service, education, security, business, sports and communication, among others.
“People from outlying areas must be able to look at the capital town as the centre of all of these services,” the President posited.
He noted too that Councils should execute their duties in a democratic manner, and as such, the views of all councilors must be considered during the decision- making process.
“Inclusiveness is a key concept and requirement of Local Government,” President Granger added, pointing out that the Constitution mandates that Local Authorities become inclusive in the management of their communities.

“The Constitution states Local Government is a vital aspect of democracy and shall be organised so as to involve as many people as possible in task of managing and developing communities in which they live,” he said.
“I urge you therefore to ensure that all of the citizens in your towns and in your wards and in your constituencies are aware of the decisions that you are taking which in the final analysis affects them.”

BE EFFECTIVE
A council’s effectiveness will determine its future when Local Government Elections are held again in 2018. As a result, he said it is important for municipalities to be effective in the execution of their duties.
Patricia Chase-Green, the Mayor of Georgetown; the Mayor of New Amsterdam, Kirt Wynter; the Mayor of Corriverton, Krishnand Jaichand; the Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland; the Mayor of Rose Hall, Vijay Kumar Ramu; Mayor of Anna Regina, Rabindranauth Mohan; the Mayor of Bartica, Gifford Marshall; Mayor of Lethem, Carlton Peter Beckles; and the Mayor of Mabaruma, Henry Smith were the nine mayors who were sworn in.

The deputy mayors who took the oath, many of them for a second time, were Lionel Jaikarran (Georgetown), Winifred Yearwood (New Amsterdam), Jamna Ghamandi (Corriverton), Waneka Odetta Arrindell (Linden), Dave Budhoo (Rose Hall), Darshan Persaud (Anna Regina), Kamal Persaud (Bartica), and Maxine Welch of Lethem.
Internal elections for local organs are held on an annual basis in keeping with Section 28 (2) of the Local Government Act Chapter 28:02 and Chapter 28:01 of the Municipal and District Council Act.