Deepening the process of local government

THERE is a criticism that has been appearing in the media, which is deceptively couched in the form of attacks on the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government successfully reintroducing Local Government Elections.

Undoubtedly, its chief architect would be the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), but using its supporters to disseminate to the public repeated falsehoods about local government since 2016.

There is no doubt that this political opposition’s refrain, which seeks to denigrate and malign this pivotal democratic exercise, is intended not only to deny government the credit it richly deserves for working assiduously to encourage citizens to be participants in a process that can revolutionise and improve their communities; but also to mislead that it has been a useless effort since 2016, because of minimal results.

Immediately, this is the well-known traditional reaction of fear of change being exhibited by the PPP/C. But, concomitantly also must come the question: by what figment of the imagination have these critics arrived at their deceptive conclusion?

Does it need to be reminded that prior to 2016, there was an absence of Local Government Elections for the entire period of PPP/C governance; and that this resulted in an entire system–which is essential to the involvement of citizens in the decision- making process of their communities– becoming stagnated, and virtually non- existent? Do these mouthpieces need to be reminded of their political party– and of whatever representational ideology– as to the parochialism, and unenlightened mindset that such spawned as friends, cronies, and political affiliates as municipal heads and NDC chairpersons, brought no vision to their communities for upliftment, except to further their own personal agendas, and that of their affiliated political party?

The gist of such a scenario, offers a local government system that was not about the people that it had been established to serve. As a result, there could have been only one result: degraded communities with abysmal environments, that could not have been comforting to either the collective mental or spiritual well-being of communities; this is in addition to being unable to offer any material benefits to the many citizens.

Significant in this undemocratic governance was the fact that communities that were perceived to be supporters of the then parliamentary opposition, were deliberately denied much-needed social amenities such as proper roads, street lighting, and sanitation services, because of their ethnicity/political support for the then opposition.

This was the untenable, shocking, and failed legacy of PPP/C local government administration for 23 years, against which David Granger as leader of the parliamentary opposition consistently campaigne; and which he inherited when he became president, and immediately set about to change.

It is this change, with its vision of restoring the rights of the people who must become the daily managers of their respective communities, by deciding what is in their best interests, by having the best of their members elected to leadership positions, irrespective of ethnicity and race, and party affiliation, that is threatening the political opposition’s traditional control of their communities. It is this new dispensation of people’s democracy and the power derived from it to effect meaningful change in the manner of local governance that the Jagdeo-led opposition fears.

It is this fear of returning power to the grassroots level that has been the catalyst for the deceptive attempts at misleading and misinforming communities and their citizens about the positive changes that have already begun to emerge, throughout the many regions, municipalities and NDCs.

If the historic return of Local Government Elections in 2016 is what can be described as building the platform for resuscitation of its infrastructure that will allow for the central function of citizenry participation, then the second stanza of this seminal vehicle of socio-economic development at the community level, on November 12, is the deepening of this process, ready to develop and expand the concept of Capital Towns which is the vehicle for the socio-economic growth and development of regions. The further creation of new municipalities would have already set this vital process in motion. This can only redound to the benefit of the many communities and their citizens.

The new dispensation of local government is a work in progress and so often, in this particular opinion page, it has been emphasised that its eventual success lies in the hands of the communities and its citizens, joining hands across the lines of ethnicity and the racial divide, pooling their talents to work for the development of their communities. However, it would be self-delusionary and politically wicked, for any opposition party especially, to have their supporters believe that there ought to have been fulsome improvements within all municipalities and NDCs since 2016, especially their physical state, prior to 2015.

As an aside, many of these communities, that are known PPP/C support bases, are currently enjoying amenities such as improved roads, community lighting, water services, improved sanitation, and the installation of ICT hubs, which were non-existent during their party’s period in government. This is a reflection of the coalition government’s understanding of governing an entire nation in the best interests of its people, regardless of constituency support or not.

Of course, there is room for improvement, since we do believe that better can be done, and much more can be achieved. Therefore, citizens must be reminded that the time has come for them to take charge of affairs within their locales, by having the courage to reject the selfish ends of political leaders whose only vision is to control and dictate who should govern their communities. This is not what local government is about.

 

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