–PPP councillors say they are being ‘muzzled’, excluded from decision-making
–Mayor dismisses concerns as ‘petty’

BASED on concerns expressed by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) councillors who sit on the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council (M&TC), all is not well, since they have not been included in the operations of the body, and their ideas are shut down during meetings.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has eight seats, while the PPP, which won 47 per cent of the votes following this year’s Local Government Elections, has six.

According to PPP councillor Carol Trim, the recently concluded Town Day hosted by the New Amsterdam M&TC left so much to be desired. She said that the PPP councillors decided to exit the Town Day Committee because of what was happening.

Trim told the Guyana Chronicle that they had no input in the event, so they resigned from the Town Day Committee. Things went south when a private party, “All-Black Party” was included as part of the events.

It was agreed at the council level that no sitting councillor was to host any private event as part of the Town Day celebrations, but the “All Black Party” was endorsed by Mayor Wainwright Mcintosh.

Trim related that when they have meetings, the PPP Councillors are not allowed to speak, and their ideas and suggestions are thrown out. Additionally, they have no seat on the Finance Committee, which is blocking transparency and fairness.

“For many years APNU dominated the New Amsterdam M&TC, so it is a winner-take-all kind of situation, and programmes are set without any debates by PPP councillors. They are not included,” she said.

Trim further explained that the mayor had a meeting, and they agreed to buy an ice machine, repair the chapel, and open a daycare, but their idea of building a municipal parking lot to generate a monthly revenue for the M&TC was shut down.

“We are saying those initiatives cannot run a town on a projected budget, since a resource pool of money is needed to sustain the administration of the Town Council,” she said.

Trim related that the PPP Councillors have since called on the Council to present a five-year plan to develop the township, since small projects cannot have much impact.

She reasoned that the way things are being done it is just disrespectful to them, as the town doesn’t belong to APNU but the people, and it is in their mandate to foster development to enhance the lives of the residents.

Trim disclosed that the mayoral chain has been missing since 2019, and it was not documented, yet the APNU team went ahead and used money from the coffers to replace it without any consultations across the board.

“It seems because they are the majority, they are making all the rules, and we do not have any say,” she said.

Trim disclosed that the Town Council has leased land to several organisations, and based on the contract that was agreed, they were supposed to develop the lands within a certain timeframe but nothing was done and the plots are overgrown.

She added that they have adequate lands available to develop a playground for the youths and children within the community, but yet that is not considered, even though a place is needed for sport activities.

Trim claims that $50 million is owed to the Town Council by sitting councillors for lands they acquired, and most of the infrastructure works which were supposed to be done by the M&TC was completed by the government via the Ministry of Public Works.

WRONG PRIORITIES

Another PPP Councilor, Roopchand Singh also told the Guyana Chronicle that they are not being included, and their input is shut down at meetings. He said that there are garbage and flooding issues in the township that need to be addressed urgently.

He reported that instead of buying two tractors to clean up the garbage in the town, they will buy an ice machine and pumps are needed to clean the interlocking drains to alleviate problematic flooding in New Amsterdam.

Singh stated that at present, there is refuse on the road shoulders, and it is getting out of control, and they have no idea what the budget is for the Town council. An audit is needed to determine this, he said.

Nicola Luther, who is also a PPP Councillor, told this publication that a lot of things are not going well. She, too, spoke about their exclusion during meetings.

She disclosed that she was bullied as a member of the Town Day Committee, and was forced to resign, since she felt disrespected.

Luther hopes that she and her fellow councillors will be included in the Land Committee, and will not be excluded in future events hosted by the Town Council, since teamwork is necessary for the development of the township.

PETTY COMPLAINTS

When contacted, Mayor McIntosh told the Guyana Chronicle that some of the complaints being made are petty.

He reported that he never saw any documents as it relates to their resignation from the Town Day Committee. According to him, they clearly did not want to participate in the planning, and are trying to be difficult when dealing with matters.

The mayor added that he never saw or touched the mayoral chain, but knows that it was replaced, and a probe has since been launched by the authorities.

McIntosh said he is willing to work with all stakeholders, including all councillors, even the ones on the other side of the bench in the interest of the people, and he will do his best to iron out issues affecting the smooth running of the Town Council.

He noted that when the council meets, all issues will be addressed, and the proposals of PPP councillors will be noted, so they can move forward.