PNCR warns of local/general elections clash
Stabroek News
April 24, 2004
Election system reforms are still not in place for local government polls which could end up conflicting with the schedule for the 2006 General Elections, PNCR Central Executive member Cheryl Sampson warned on Thursday.
"The [party] continues to maintain that elections can only be held after all reforms to the local government system are in place," she told reporters at the weekly Congress Place press conference.
"Ample time exists to move ahead with these issues in a satisfactory manner, but the government must show by its actions and not by its statement to the media, that it is serious about fulfilling its obligations," she added.
Local Government polls were last held in 1994 and since that time there have been numerous delays sourced to instability, the imminence of general elections and the inability of the parties to agree on the reforms which have been the mandate of a Local Government Task Force for almost three years.
GECOM Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally has said that local government polls should not be held unless all the prerequisites are satisfied, including the selection of an electoral system and the enactment of supporting legislation.
Even if the laws are settled expeditiously the earliest time for elections would be May next year, according to Sampson.
Other reforms have to be worked out too, including the creation of the constitutionally mandated Local Government Commission as an independent institution and the settlement and implementation of the formula for fiscal transfers to the regional democratic councils and other local organs.
It is hoped that a formula for fiscal appropriations could guard against instances where a government could deliberately deny annual budgetary requests.
But the integrity and security of the GECOM database has also been an issue of concern to the PNCR, which says it must be addressed to the satisfaction of the stakeholders.
Sampson said this is a prerequisite for both Local Government and General Elections, which are scheduled to take place in 2006. Plans for Local Government Elections in 1998 were aborted because of the unrest that followed the 1997 general elections.
With the delays in mind, the party said the preparation for the next General Elections must also commence immediately and simultaneously with Local Government Elections preparation.
"This issue is of extreme importance because the PNCR will not be open to any suggestion that national elections should also be delayed because of the delay in holding Local Government Elections," Sampson said.
She also added that the system used for the last General and Regional Elections should have benefited from constitutional review to determine whether it would be continued.
She said the party believes that this should be undertaken by the National Assembly's Constitutional Review Committee, which is chaired by Attorney-General Doodnauth Singh. But the committee is yet to start its work and the PNCR says this is because of the PPP/C's aversion to non-parliamentarian participation in the deliberations. The committee is the only parliamentary committee in which the constitution provides for the participation of non-parliamentarians.
Sampson said that the committee also provides a proper forum to look at the proposals for shared or inclusive governance and may resolve the issues before the next General Elections.