Section of the audience at the Conference of the Association of Municipalities of Guyana
The Constitutional Reform Process of 1998 has radically transformed the structure of governance in Guyana allowing for more inclusivity, and the reform of the Local Government System should mirror that process.
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday told key players within the Local Government System that this is the answer to many of the problems confronting local governance in Guyana.
He was addressing the first Conference of the Association of Municipalities of Guyana, a newly formed body comprising membership from the six Municipalities: Georgetown, Anna Regina, Linden, Corriverton, New Amsterdam and Rose Hall.
The President noted that one of the major problems with the local Government bodies is that they are imbalanced politically. He said that many of the Committees responsible for key areas of work are either representative of the ruling or opposing party, and that this affects the work delivered to communities.
The new Constitution resulting from the Reform, the President said, allows for greater participation in governance issues by the Opposition.
The Opposition's representation on Constitutional bodies has now increased and all Government policies are also reviewed by Standing Committees on which the Opposition has one member less than Government.
Citizens' concerns can also be addressed through the Constitutional Rights Commissions, of which the Opposition has to agree with Government on the composition of the six.
The President noted that this type of inclusivity needs to "be replicated at the local governance level too."
The Reformed Constitution does provide for local Government Reform and a Joint Committee out of the Jagdeo/Hoyte dialogue of 2001, had embarked on the process. However, two years have passed and the reform is still outstanding.
A major part of the reform is the holding of Local Government Elections, which were last held in the late 1970s. the President noted that while he is enthusiastic to have the Elections, he does not have the power to call a Local Government Elections, as the country does not have a continuous registration system and the Elections Commission is set up in such a way the Chairperson is elected from a list of nominees the Leader of the Opposition submits to the President.
Sharing a light moment (l to r) US Ambassador Ronald Bullen; UK High Commissioner Steve Hiscock; Major Hamilton Green and President Bharrat Jagdeo.