Budgetary allocations to NDCs to increase
Ministers of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall (left) and Anand Persaud at their press briefing on Monday (Delano Williams photo)
Ministers of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall (left) and Anand Persaud at their press briefing on Monday (Delano Williams photo)

– says Minister Dharamlall

THE 70 Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDCs) and 10 municipalities across Guyana are expected to receive greater support, including increase in budgetary allocations, as the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development (MoLGRD) rolls out its developmental agenda.

Speaking at their first press briefing, last Monday, at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, newly-appointed Ministers of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall and Anand Persaud said the new government will also be putting more focus on infrastructural developments within the various local government organs.
The strengthening will include the continuation of local government elections and the establishment of information systems at each organ that will include an “issues log register”, which will record the grievances of citizens to ensure problems are properly documented.

An Inter-Ministerial Task Force, involving the MoLGRD collaborating with the ministries of Public Works, Education, Health, and Amerindian Affairs is also on the cards.
“The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) manifesto speaks heavily to local governance where citizens take ownership of leadership within their communities. We will enhance the skillset and provide support to residents within local bodies so that they can be core leaders at the local level,” Dharamlall, declared.
Dharamlall highlighted that local government and regional development play critical roles in enhancing people’s lives and the MoLGRD will work vigorously to strengthen local organs to ensure they become more efficient and effective in their relationship with citizens.

“Safe and secure communities are imperative to a wholesome life and are important to national wellbeing. We will continue to strengthen the capacity of our local organs. It is the mandate of President Irfaan Ali that local government elections continue,” Dharamlall established.

In Guyana, local government is the third tier of governance in Guyana, coming under the national governance headed by the National Assembly and the regional governance comprising the 10 Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs).

Local government is provided for by the Municipal and District Councils Act 1988 and Local Government Act 1998 and is enshrined in the Constitution.
Aside from the NDCs and municipalities, there are also a number of Amerindian village councils.
The local government organs are meant to be a way of taking governance to the people and putting them in charge of their own communities. To carry out their mandates, the municipalities and NDCs are provided annually with finances through government subventions.

SEMI-AUTONOMOUS
However, the organs are ultimately expected to be semi-autonomous bodies that gain their own income through the collection of taxes and charging for services provided in the communities they serve. However, over the years, the system has faced its challenges.

In the 2019 budget, subventions for the NDCs were increased to $5 million from $3 million while subventions for the municipalities were increased to $18 million from $15 million. However, many of the organs still struggled to get many projects in their communities completed.

“Local government organs require substantial financial support… we intend to pursue very quickly subventions to NDCs and municipalities… and we will be increasing their subvention and supporting our local government organs to manage resources and take on greater responsibility where infrastructure is concerned,” Dharamlall said.
Minister Dharamlall further noted that even as the financial support to the organs increase, so will the expectations of accountability and transparency.
“We have to vigorously pursue and strengthen planning and budgeting of our local government organs, so that they can become more transparent and accountable to citizens they serve,” he said.

Minister Persaud, during his address, noted that the ministers will soon be assessing the situation across the various NDCs.
“Very shortly, myself and Minister Dharamlall will start making field visits to the 10 administrative regions, to listen to citizens and see how best we can assist them in the next five years,” Persaud said.

Dharamlall said the ministry will adopt a partnership approach to governance.
“We want residents and citizens to work hand-in-hand with us to bridge that gap between government and citizens, making decisions together, making policies together. We will rebuild economic structure in regions and by that we mean every region and all of this being done with their support and collaboration,” Dharamlall said.
Feedback, he said, will also play a vital role in the structure that the new ministry will be looking to establish.

“We will establish, in every single part of the structure, an information system that provides feedback. Every RDC, NDC, and municipality, including Georgetown will have an ‘issues log register’. Whether physical or virtual register, we expect that our citizens will have access to these offices and bodies where services can be provided. We will have allocated from MoLGRD officers who will respond and react immediately to all of these registers,” he said.

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