– says one voice is enough to make a difference

AT the recently concluded Local Government Elections (LGE) an independent candidate was able to gain a massive victory in the PPP-dominated Port Mourant/Johns NDC.

Orin McDougal who contested in Constituency One-Portuguese Quarter to Managers Compound in the Port Mourant/Johns Neighborhood Democratic Council Region Six, secured 119 to 36 votes against his PPP opponent.

“I believe a strongly independent candidate needs to get real and run for this election more than me. One makes a difference; it makes a start, if others can go into that and do it we will have control and see better decision-making and a voice, with the council not having to stymie anything,” he stated.

McDougal explained to the Guyana Chronicle that he was previously on the PPP slate as a councillor for the said NDC but has been getting a lot of opposition and negativity from most of the councilors who were bent on stymieing his plans. After being asked to not contest again by the council he decided to go as an independent candidate based on the request of his constituents who felt they would be pushed further into the doldrums by the PPP candidates who cared little for them. With his one seat, McDougal, who is a remigrant, has a lot of plans and believes that one seat is enough for him to make a difference in his community and has shown that he has the support of his people.

“When it comes around this time for nominations they did not include me in the list because this is a way they found to get me off as a councillor but I am grateful that Guyana is a democratic country and I have an option to go as an individual. My desire is to serve the people; to help them to make their lives better and I found that it is not necessary to align with any political party to do that for the people, so I am doing this as an independent for my community and people,” he had told the Guyana Chronicle prior to the elections.

He explained, notable achievements that were recorded during his three years as councillor will continue into phase two. These include; the cleaning of Bunyan Trench, paved streets and patched roads, cleaning of the dumpsite, installation of tubing for proper drainage and irrigation, fixing of leakages among others.

“Everything that we did before will be done in phase two, fix streets based on our allowance. I intend to hold meetings which we will form a committee within the constituency. This committee will be in charge to ensure the drains are kept clean, the parapets are weeded, and the garbage is disposed of properly.”

McDougal, prior to the LGEs along with his supporters, had started a massive clean-up campaign and even after the elections he continues to play an active role in community development. McDougal and 17 other councillors will be officially sworn in at the Port Mourant/Johns Neighborhood Democratic Council today.