PM Nagamootoo not bothered by opposition ‘noises’ PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo said the “noises” being made by the opposition against the Local Government Elections (LGEs) process lack credibility as they come from a party which had buried the democratic process for some 20 years.

He said further that it is indisputable that the current government has restored power to the people through the restoration of local democracy.

In his weekly column ‘My Turn’, the prime minister said that November 12 will mark only the fourth LGEs to be held in Guyana since the country became an independent state.
What he holds culpable are the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)-implemented Interim Management Committees (IMCs), which Nagamootoo said took control of the decision- making process in towns and neighbourhoods.

Now, he continued, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)+ Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition government seeks to restore grassroots, local, community-based participation with the simultaneous election of Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and Municipal Councils.

“In 2016 the coalition government resurrected this important pillar of people’s democracy when it held the first two such elections within three years of taking office.
“It has since provided constitutional safeguards for functioning of the local councils to insulate them from political interference, with the establishment of the bi-partisan Local Government Commission,” the prime minister said.

Despite the “political provocation” of the Opposition to “incite division and confrontation” Nagamootoo stated that persons must become intimidated but must demand accountability and vote in November for the group with their interest at heart.

“The decision by the opposition to picket me in Auchlyne, then hold a counter-meeting nearby in Whim, went beyond desperation. It was an outright political provocation to incite division and confrontation in this tiny fishing village of my birth. This village, as well as nearby Letterkenny and Bloomfield, has long been a PPP stronghold. It is unlikely that this could change any time soon. But what will never change is that my navel string is buried in this area– in Whim. So in spite of political outcomes at the polls, I will always render whatever assistance my villagers need,” the prime minister said, referring to his community outreach Friday last.

He added: “For years, villages controlled by the opposition have been purposefully neglected, even though the councils benefited yearly from millions in state subsidies– and they collected rates and taxes from citizens. It is time that our people demand accountability. It is time they vote for better leadership.”