THE Mayor of Mabaruma , Chris Phang, has been ignoring projects for which funding was allocated through annual government subventions and he has also instructed staff to ignore the Acting Town Clerk.

This is according to officials of the North West District town council who reported recently that the mayor has been displaying scant regard for projects which were conceptualized under the previous town council, especially those which are tied to the Green State agenda of the government.

Recently, residents of Mabaruma told this newspaper that since being elected last year, Phang has shown no respect for government’s policies and regulations.
Although the Town Clerk is responsible for the day to day administration of the council, critical information that would be useful to assist that official in carrying out her responsibilities, is often withheld by the Mayor, a councillor reported recently. Calls to the number provided for the mayor have gone unanswered.

It was noted that Phang informed staff of the council to completely ignore the Acting Town Clerk, Maria Basheer, and that they should report directly to him since he accused the official of having ties to the APNU+AFC government.

According to a PPP councillor, the Mayor has been abusing the seat of office which he holds. He said the mayor has been threatening workers attached to the town’s Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) with dismissal if, in his (Phang’s) opinion, they adhere to government policy or are seen as supporters of the government.
Following last year’s Local Government Elections (LGE), the Opposition garnered more seats on the council and as such, controls the voting process whenever the council is tasked with making decisions on the town.

Reports are that the previous council, which was equally shared in numbers by the government and opposition, had undertaken a number of projects in the town.
Since he was installed as mayor, Phang has refused to acknowledge those projects which are tied to the Green State Agenda .These include a Green Park at Hosororo/Wanaina play field which was initiated by the previous council in collaboration with the Ministry of Communities. President David Granger had declared the park officially open in October 2017.

In an attempt to change programmes funded by the Ministry of Communities’ annual $18M subvention, reports are that the PPP-dominated council is crafting plans to pursue projects for which contracts are already guaranteed for supporters of the PPP/C, of which the mayor is a member.

Tempers flared at Mabaruma recently when information revealed that a contract was awarded to a close relative of the Deputy Mayor of Mabaruma to carry out works on a playfield at the community of Thomas Hill. Persons in the area are upset that the project was not completed by the contractor and remains a white elephant although funds were fully paid to the contractor.

Reports are that the functions of the Superintendent of Works are being absorbed by the mayor and recently , several months ago the official started to take aim at the Acting Town clerk after she made queries to several issues being undertaken by the council.
Almost weekly, the mayor has been issuing letters to the Acting Town Clerk and reports are that the mayor is peeved that contracts, the majority of which were previously awarded to associates of the Opposition party , are now being awarded in a fair manner.
The Regional Democratic Council (RDC) at Mabaruma usually awards contracts to the town council and according to an official there, this is viewed as an opportunity for the municipality to make a profit since it is the only form of income-generation the council has at its disposal.

The collection of taxes from business persons was floated by the previous town council as another opportunity for the council to gain funding for its projects, however, at last year’s LGE, the PPP campaigned on the promise that it will ensure that this does not occur.
The Mabaruma town council has been operating on a deficit budget, and according to a town council official, while there were proposals from the previous council to change this pattern, the current council appears not to be willing to find ways to make money to sustain itself.

Phang has been criticized by residents for his inability to lead the council. They said that an incident several months ago, in which the mayor read the speech of Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, instead of his at a function in which a state facility at Mabaruma was commissioned, was a sign that the mayor is not equipped to lead the council.