Dear Editor,
As the newly elected councillors to the municipalities and Neighborhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) take up their seats, they must move swiftly in seriously organising the work and advancing meaningful initiatives as our citizens across the various Local Authority Areas (LAAs). Residents are looking forward to improvements in capacity-building and services.

The mayors, chairpersons, and councillors must be astute and get down to serious planning after conducting a thorough situational assessment of the state of affairs in the LAAs, which they will preside, giving particular attention to what they are taking over. As far as possible, there must first be a proper handover and take-over process and the immediate set up of an appropriate possible work schedule to prioritise the efficient delivery of critical services.

As statutory institutions, the Neighbourhood Democratic and Municipal Councils have the legal authority to collect rates and taxes and utilise the revenues as expenditures for addressing costs associated with service support activities. The proper accountability for these revenues fall within the ambit of maintaining auditable records while ensuring optimised community benefits from supportive initiatives and other expected cyclical activities. Critically, therefore, establishing a functional monitoring and feedback mechanism augers well in providing that the Councils play a timely and meaningful role in responding to reasonable citizens’ expectations.

In addressing the preceding, it is appropriate and necessary for the councils to establish from the elected councillors responsible committees for crucial areas of responsibility. These generally include but are not limited to the following: Financial, Works, Sports, and Enhancement Committees, which must be all-inclusive. The committees must be appointed/elected with a solid intention to get productive things done in the communities.

With the massive development at the national level and the development work by the RDC, the NDCs must work closely with all accelerating capacity building, helping to improve security, building partnerships, coordinating with community groups and Non-Governmental Organisations to realize synergies, and enhance their communities.

The communities must benefit from better garbage cleaning, clearing of drains and alleyways, fixing potholes early, and planned work schedules to clean community centers, health centers, and other public venues. Our citizens group, policing group, must feel comfortable working with the NDCs. The togetherness will bring about more involvement of all our people in developing our community. We must motivate residents to gravitate and embrace our NDC/councillors.

Our councillors must be more visible and create a solid and positive impact on the communities. The approach to works and services to the respective community must also be with the full involvement of the councillors, and the Council must ensure a zero-tolerance policy to corrupt practices at the various levels, including those designed to frustrate the patience of persons requiring the services of the administrative offices.

Our new councils must demand and uphold and develop policy approaches that would improve the delivery of professional responses from the administrative staff, including the overseers and other functionaries who must show respect to the people in the LAA. In this regard, issuing compliance and services by the council must be done expeditiously, while submitting applications for the approval of building plans and simple permissions must not take weeks; but be done in a relatively nondiscriminatory manner and within the shortest possible time.

The new councillors must create an immediate positive impression on the electorate who elected them, and the fresh start following the recent elections has provided the basis for a genuinely enthusiastic team of persons working together. Individually and collectively, the councillors’ engagements individually and collectively must target the necessary representation of aligning the community development with the progressive nation and regional development focus.

The new buzz offers a sense of improved expectations that community residents are encouraged to support. The endeavors of the ‘One Guyana’ approach led by his Excellency President Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C administration, serve to guarantee the national and government support and these certainly lend to incentivising the work of the councillors and on the respective councils.
Once supported, no community will be left behind!
Sincerely,
Neil Kumar