ENSURING that democracy is maintained is paramount to ensuring that a country is run in the best interest of all its peoples, ensuring that all citizens have equal access to the nation’s resources and services offered by the state.

With the quest for the ‘good life’ at the foundation of the current Administration’s mandate, Government is committed to ensuring the tenets of democracy are secured and maintained. Government has pledged to ensure the regular holding of Local Government Elections (LGEs), which were restored after a 23-year absence under the People’s Progressive Party.

LGEs will be held on November 12 this year and will be the second such elections since President David Granger restored local democracy to the people by ensuring that local government elections are held as required by the Constitution.

In this week’s Government in Action, we will take a look at the preparations being put in place by the Guyana Elections Commission and the Ministry of Communities for the holding of Local Government Elections this year.

RESTORING LOCAL DEMOCRACY
This year’s LGEs will mark the first time in Guyana’s history that successive local Government elections have been held. In fact, one of the damning charges against the PPP administration was that they showed little interest in empowering people to enable them to exercise greater control of their daily lives. The PPP was more concerned with concentrating power in the hands of its appointed Minister of Local and Regional Government.

Then Leader of the Opposition, President David Granger led a picketing exercise from September 2014 to December 2014, a period of four months, in front of what was then the Office of the President, calling on the Government to hold LGEs.

“I patrolled the streets of Georgetown. I picketed Mr. Donald Ramotar’s office demanding Local Government Elections and now that I am where he was, I will give you Local Government Elections. We changed places,” President Granger said at the commissioning of two buses at Rose Hall in February 2016.

The then Opposition parties had favoured a system in which less power was concentrated in the hands of the subject Minister and more power is given to the people, while the People’s Progressive Party Government preferred maintenance of the status quo. The President of the day, Mr. Donald Ramotar had used his veto powers to frustrate the enactment of legislation passed by the Parliament.

Upon entering office in 2015, the present Government quickly pushed through the delayed legislation and moved towards making good on its promise to hold local elections sooner rather than later. The Opposition had vigorously argued that the elections could not be held since the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) did not have the necessary infrastructure in place but GECOM, for its part, contended that it was ready.

Minister of Communities, Mr. Ronald Bulkan, in an invited comment with the Public Information and Press Services Unit of the Ministry of the Presidency, said that it was the lack of political will from the previous administration and the need for control that hindered local government empowerment for over two decades.

“It has taken a long time for us to have the political will to implement and institute the Constitutional provisions for Local Government elections but with the ascension of President David Granger following the May 2015 elections, what it brought is that political will to ensure that the system of Local Government is accorded its rightful place in the governance architecture according to Constitutional provisions. So, at the time of our ascension to office that heavy hand of the Government that existed for decades and decades was removed and it has been replaced by the hand of cooperation,” Minister Bulkan said.

CITIZENS’ EMPOWERMENT
President Granger has said that this important process, which was neglected for decades, has led to a democratic renewal that has sparked hope and enlivened communities that were slowly becoming mere dormitories.

Speaking at the opening of the National Conference of Local Democratic Organs at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre on July 26, 2018, the Head of State said that the conduct of regular elections reflects government’s sincere commitment to promoting democratic renewal and community development where they count first and most – from the bottom-up. It is a manifestation of government’s resolve to empower citizens to take control of their own communities, he noted. Local democracy is an appropriate approximation of Abraham Lincoln’s adage about “…government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

“Local government is central to fostering democratic decision-making and community development. The Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana states clearly at Article 71(1): Local Government is a vital aspect of democracy and shall be organised as to involve as many people as possible in the task of managing and developing the communities in which they live,” he said.

At the commissioning ceremony of buses at Rose Hall Town February 27, 2016, President Granger said that his Government will ensure that the local government system continues to function in the interest of the people and empowers ordinary citizens to become more involved in the administration of their own communities.

“Everything that happens to you, as soon as you put your foot out your door is about local government. Whether you getting bite by mosquito, Zika, Chikungunya, big foot, malaria, dengue, all these diseases are brought by mosquitoes; if your neighbourhood is unsanitary, if you don’t have the ability to remove solid waste you are going to suffer and that is why we need strong NDCs, strong municipalities, and that is why this Government has struggled to ensure that we put power back into your hands in the form of Local Government Elections. Since 1994 we have not had elections, but in 30 days’ time, we will have elections. You will elect your own councillors because you will have the power, we will empower you and if they don’t perform, move them and put people who are concerned about your welfare,” President Granger said.

With LGEs just months away, preparations are ongoing to ensure that citizens can exercise their franchise in a fair and transparent way. The Guyana Elections Commission has commenced the process of registration across the country to ensure that every eligible citizen is registered and given the opportunity to exercise their democratic right. The process commenced on May 21 and ran until July 15, 2018.

In an interview with the Public Information and Press Services Unit of the Ministry of the Presidency, Chairman of GECOM, Justice James Patterson said that the Commission began its work months ago as it is cognisant of the fact that every system must be in place to ensure a free, fair and transparent election, whether local government or general and regional.

“We started preparations ages ago because there are stages and we are at the stage now where everybody is doing something that the Statutes of the Constitution say to do. We have reports coming in daily from all of our positions throughout the country. I think most of the people come at least weekly with reports so we have everything ship shape in that regard. We have more registrants as we speak, far more than when we began and that gives me some comfort,” Justice Patterson said.

Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan said that he is confident in the assurance given by GECOM that its preparations are on target. He noted that from the Ministry’s end, preparations have been made for the town of Mahdia, as well as eight other Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to be included in this year’s elections.

“Nine new local government authority areas are expected to be announced. It allows for one new township, which would be Mahdia, eight new NDCs, three of these being in the Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two), two in the Demerara-Mahaica area (Region Four) along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, two in the East Berbice-Corentyne area (Region Six) and one in the Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo area (Region Nine), which will be the village of Aranaputa. So we are not only deepening the scope of Local Government but we are also widening it with the creation of new local government areas when these elections are held,” he said.

EDUCATE TO EMPOWER
GECOM Chairman, Justice Patterson noted that the Commission has already started its voter education campaign countrywide in an effort to educate citizens on their rights and what the process entails.

“Voter education is important. We have a voter Education Department right here and a very responsible person is doing that job at the moment and you can count on us to do what we can to educate people on the need to vote. How to vote and who to vote for is out of my pay grade. That is for the particular party contenders whoever they may be… It’s an ongoing process, we don’t stop working. GECOM is either out of an election or we are going into one and I have an excellent staff very excellent staff,” the GECOM Chairman noted.

On this note, Minister Bulkan said that the Ministry of Communities has launched its Local Government Public Awareness Education Project with the aim of empowering the Guyanese public to become more involved in community and regional leadership. The countrywide project is expected to run for 18 months. Minister Bulkan said that while the turnout at the 2016 LGEs was slightly in excess of 43 per cent, one of the Ministry’s immediate goals for the public awareness campaign is to increase voter turnout to a minimum 50 per cent.

“What is required to accompany this empowerment is that people must begin to take ownership of their communities. I believe the first step of ownership requires citizens’ participation. Persons must participate in these elections, which is an opportunity that is being afforded to them to elect candidates from their communities who will become councillors who in turn will be entrusted with the significant authority and responsibility to manage and develop their respective areas. I think that is the key element of ownership,” the Minister of Communities said.

Given the fact that before 2015 LGEs had not been held in decades, many citizens are still unaware of the enormous functions, responsibilities, and authority of local councils. This is why he noted, the Ministry has commenced work to fill the information deficit to ensure that persons understand the importance of their own participation in the process. He noted that it is the Government’s responsibility to set up the governance architecture of the country and LGE’s form a major part of democratic governance.

“The sum of about $2.9 billion was allocated in the 2018 budget to fund the work of GECOM. This is in addition to $500 million that they had in their coffers; so, it’s approximately $3.5 billion that has been allocated by this administration to GECOM to ensure that these elections will be held. Many are questioning this investment. The Administration, however, is not second-guessing itself. It’s an investment in democratic governance. It’s an investment to ensure that our citizen’s wherever they reside are allowed to exercise their democratic right to elect persons to manage and develop their own administration. So, it is to say that this administration is committed and we have no intention of being distracted or diverted from delivering on this commitment that we made. Ultimately the hope is that the system is entrenched to the point that there is no danger that any succeeding administration will want to return to the model that obtained for the greater part of our post-independent history,” he said.

Justice Patterson also echoed these sentiments as he noted that the right to vote is not one to be taken lightly. “I want to encourage the Guyanese public not to be apathetic about it. We have put a lot of human and material resources in our efforts and this Chairman doesn’t want to see all those efforts go down in vain and people need to know. The Guyana Elections Commission is an independent body and that independence is embodied in its Chairman. I see no faces, I know neither names, I have no or any interest political, economic or otherwise in the outcome of the elections and I wish everybody to know that and to be at peace,” the GECOM’s Chairman noted.

Government has fulfilled its commitment and has returned Local Government elections and power to the people. It is now up to every citizen to take advantage of the opportunities presented and exercise their right to vote and elect the leaders that can best serve their interests.