The President’s refusal to assent to the Local Government (Amendment) Bill should not hold up the hosting of Local Government Elections (LGE)

The President’s refusal to assent to the Local Government (Amendment) Bill should not hold up the hosting of Local Government Elections (LGE). All that is required now is for the President to instruct the Attorney General to move the case to the judiciary. There, the court can decide whether certain functions conferred on the Local Government Commis-sion (LGC) exceed the constitutional authority of Article 78A, thus making Local Government (Amendment) Bill No. 12 of 2012 “null, void and of no effect” as articulated by the Attorney General.

No amount of political grandstanding, rhetoric and declarations in the press will resolve this issue, as we approach a year since parliament approved the four local government reform bills. If the President and his government are serious about determining the legislation’s constitutionality, then move to the courts quickly for resolving, once and for all, the essential legal questions.

Notwithstanding the need to clarify the bill’s constitutionality, there is no compelling reason to delay establishing and announcing a date for holding LGEs. The government must act now.

I say this not only because I agree with the statement that “three-quarters of a loaf is better than none,” as advanced by opposition parliamentarian Khemraj Ramjattan but also because the disputable issues do not affect the hosting and execution of local elections.

In fact, while we wait for a ruling on the outstanding bill’s constitutionality, the government and parliamentary opposition can agree, in terms of mutual national interest, to proceed with the elections under the old laws where the powers still reside with the Minister of Local Government instead of the LGC. A healthy dose of political maturity and political will from our elected policy-makers can facilitate this process quickly.

I have seen in the press and in other public forums the belief of some that the contested pending bill is the one containing the provisions establishing the LGC’s roles and functions. I wish to reiterate that this is not so. The Local Government Commission Act was passed and assented to last year by the National Assembly and the President, respectively, and the structure and roles of the Commission have been elucidated. Among its many powers is the LGC’s responsibility to “deal with all matters relating to staffing of local government organs” including “employment, transfer, discipline and dismissal of staff” and approving “remuneration, superannuation, training, leave and promotion of staff.” What the outstanding bill seeks to do is confer additional powers on the Commission. Moreover, once the Minister of Local Government signs the commencement order, then the nomination process of commissioners under the LGC Act would begin.

I personally have an issue with either the Minister of Local Government or the LGC deciding on who gets to run the administrative affairs of the municipalities around the country. That responsibility should be left to those elected authorities who are closest to the citizens, and which, in this case, would be the elected mayor and councillors.

The buck should stop with the Mayor, in particular. This is what local self-government is all about: the ability of local authorities to regulate and manage a substantial share of public affairs under their own responsibility and in the local population’s interests. Powers given to our municipalities should be full and exclusive, allowing discretion for them, as far as possible. One pragmatically cannot expect to hold our mayors and councillors responsible for the overall interests of their respective areas and communities and then deny them the right to decide who gets to execute policy on their behalf. Thus, the Minister or the LGC should only have a supervisory role in this process.

However, that is a discussion for another time. At the moment we have sufficient laws to work with and it is time for the Minister to call a date for LGEs.

A Caricom Private Sector Commission is Needed

The regional private sector movement is near death on minimum life support and no number of bandages and doses of dubious medicine can resuscitate it in its current incarnation. I have chosen the words carefully, avoiding the phrase “bring it back to life” because it is questionable that it ever had life-sustaining vigor in its entire existence.

Notwithstanding, the current effort by some private sector leaders around the region to revive an institution called the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC) is a commendable one. However, I hold little faith in the effort gaining success. From the outset, there is a 4,000-kilogram elephant in the room that many have avoided deliberately; and that is the decision by the major private sector organisations in Trinidad and Tobago to publicly disassociate themselves from the CAIC and its current resuscitation efforts.  This is a significant hurdle to overcome. If this project has any chance of achieving its goals, its current leaders might want to make the mission of convincing the region’s largest economy to come back on board its immediate priority.  Anything short of this will only mean those good gentlemen are bound up in an exercise of futility.

For the regional private sector movement to work, it must become simultaneously regional in scope while remaining fiercely committed to its local purview.  There should be a center/periphery relationship structure. At the center there should be a Caricom Private Sector Commission (CPSC) and at the local level, the respective private sector agencies in each country should be consolidated into one group (akin to our Private Sector Commission).

For the CPSC, the individual private sector agencies would comprise the board of directors taking on a supervisory role while its administrative functions are carried out by a Commissioner empowered to represent the regional private sector at the highest decision making level of CARICOM. To make this role fully legitimate, this should include a seat at the Heads of Government’s table. It is baffling to think that the CSME is supposed to be an economic programme which should be led and executed by the private sector but, in reality, politicians always have determined all of its major decisions and timelines.  Some might say this is wishful thinking. However, if we seriously want to establish a strong regional economic space, it’s about time the respective Heads of Government view the private sector as an equally important partner at the most senior level of regional economic decision making.

The same thing can be said for negotiating trade agreements. The CPSC should employ a senior trade negotiator who also would serve on the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) panel to ensure the collective input of the private sector is represented throughout the entity’s process of deliberations and negotiations.

In addition to hiring the best qualified staff, the CPSC should leverage the available toolbox of technology to execute its mandate. For instance, the need for physical travel can be replaced effectively and efficiently through teleconferencing facilities.

As for funding, a combination of individual country private sector organisations and the Caricom Heads of Government can make the necessary allocations. This should not be a problem, as the private sector pays the bulk of taxes in each territory and thus allocating some of that money to strengthen and make them competitive on an international scale should make immediate sense. Simply, the better our private sector performs the more taxes the territories would collect.

At the local level, the capacity of the central private sector agency and its constituent members should be fortified, so they effectively can execute and implement in their respective countries the programmes and activities arising from the Caricom project or from trade agreements. We must move away from the model of government, regional, and specialised agencies implementing and executing what are essentially private sector development projects. Rather, the Chamber of Commerce organisations in individual countries should be well equipped to manage and execute programmes that build their constituent members’ capacity for global and regional trade.

Private sector leaders around the region also should push to grow their respective Chambers by making it mandatory for all businesses to join at membership fees prorated to the size of the business. This will sustain and expand private sector organisations, empowering them with the credibility and legitimacy they need to compel governments to listen and to respond to the demands and issues associated with business and economy.

To achieve these goals, we will need significant shifts in structure and our mindsets to achieve what really are pragmatic goals. Let us hope both our regional political policy makers and private sector leaders have the will and resolve to lead such a transforming effort.

Our Politicians Owe an Entire Generation Local Government Elections

Ive recently teamed up with a group of young people and formed an NGO called the Blue CAPS (Change, Advocacy, Policy and Service). Here is our first letter to the editor on the need for Local Government Elections.

Dear Editor:

It now has been two decades since we last held local government elections in Guyana. Putting this into an urgent practical context, it means that we have had an entire generation who were born and who grew into adulthood, all while never experiencing the local elections process as a unique opportunity to become directly involved in their community’s political and civic culture.  The effects actually have stretched into yet another generation. For those who were just 17 at the time of the last elections, they are now at least 37 years old. As individuals who likely are important mentors and role models to younger generations, this generation has never voted in a local election nor has it experienced the often exciting aspects of a local political campaign that can be critical to how communities envision their prospects for progress, growth and prosperity. We are representing a broad section of Guyana’s population who is 37 and younger. So vital is this goal, that all of us have signed this letter, as we begin a mission of advocacy to reverse this disappointing reality that has lasted far too long in our country.

As idealists who see an unprecedentedly exciting future for our country, it boggles our minds that the elected guardians of our democracy have allowed this travesty to go on unresolved. Setting the immediate priority of calling for local government elections does more than just energize the political process. 

Guyana is in the midst of extraordinary economic promise and we understand the ramifications of letting the local political process atrophy and lose its critical strength. If young people become hopelessly disconnected, the consequences for the nation could prove costly. If young people know opportunities to connect to their communities do not exist, the local environment could become a feeding ground for negative behaviors that lead to delinquency and a lack of motivation to continue their education. On the other hand, having the experience of an active local political process in which elections become the catalyst for public engagement, young people develop a clearer sense of identity, a positive focus on recognizing their individual merit and worth, and renewed feelings that motivate them to look for ways to be successful.

The good news is that many of us in the younger generation have faith in the democratic process and we hope that our elders recognize just how important local governmental elections are not just for our individual communities but also for keeping Guyana’s democratic prospects as strong and as fruitful as possible. 

Guyana has moved forward thanks to many whom we know have a healthy appreciation for democracy and what it can accomplish. As a younger generation, we share that same love and respect for these principles. We stand as ready, eager students willing to listen and ready to participate. And, through the process of local government elections, we see wonderful opportunities to gain work experience, skills, and valuable lessons about responsibility and accountability, all of which help our local communities thrive.

We believe in our country’s potential for great positive developments even as we sometimes have been disillusioned and disappointed. Our love and hope for Guyana runs deep within each and everyone of us and we are confident that our elders and leaders believe in our national potential just as strongly. We believe that there is no greater platform for investing in our nation than in carrying forward a compelling vision that improves the lives of all people. Furthermore, it is that compelling vision which can become one of the most powerful magnets for attracting resources and investments which benefit the nation’s economy throughout all communities in Guyana.

From the bosoms of our hearts and depths of our conscience, we plead with love for our country and respect for our national heritage in urging our Local Government Minister to please set forth the date and process for local government elections.

Faithfully,

For Blue CAPS

Clinton Urling

Chontelle Sewett

Sara Bharrat

Marissa Lowden

Vishnu Doerga

Aretha Majeed

Marvin Wray

Mark Murray

Keoma Griffith

Krysten Sewett

Dmitri Nicholson

Troy Edmonson

Christine Bennett

Christopher Gooding

Can Keith Borrowes Succeed as Go-Invest’s CEO?

I have started back writing my column for Stabroek News and here is the first entry that was published on May 02.

Last week, Mr. Keith Burrowes was appointed the non-executive Chief Executive Officer of the struggling national investment agency Go-Invest. A quick aside, I’m still perplexed as to what constitutes a non-executive CEO and therein lays the introduction to the following concerns. It is not clear if Mr. Burrowes will continue as chairman of the agency’s board of directors but if he continues in that capacity, he will both manage and coordinate the agency’s day-to day affairs and lead the team responsible for supervising his performance as chief administrator. This approach does not align with good corporate governance standards and we hope the government will conduct the proper search to find a qualified successor to Mr. Burrowes as chairman of the board of directors.

Another recent development surrounding the agency arises from the acknowledgement that the combined parliamentary opposition in Parliament did not lend its support toward approving the agency’s budgetary allocations. This leaves the future and faith of the agency in limbo and we will have to wait and see how the agency will continue to operate.

The unfortunate approach of rejecting budgetary funding will affect the functions and operations of many critical state and parastatal agencies, some of which are essential to Guyana’s mission – notably, Go-Invest and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) – for achieving and sustaining a position of global competitiveness. In IAST’s case, we read in a public letter from that agency’s head to the dailies complaints about the loss of funds for his agency. He squarely placed the blame at the feet of the parliamentary opposition.  It also is debatable why Mr. Suresh Narine believed that publicly blaming the opposition exclusively for the infringement was a good strategy. The fact is both government and political opposition forces must be accountable for this situation. Both sides have failed during the past few years to engage in meaningful, constructive engagements before budgetary estimates were laid that would have led to political compromise and agreement.

Mr. Burrowes might want to follow suit, but by adopting a slightly different approach from that of Mr. Narine, he could articulate a prudent, pragmatic public plea to both government and opposition to engage in talks for the purposes of assigning supplemental funds to the agency. This could be then followed up or executed in concert with behind-the-scene talks and engagements with all political policy making stakeholders. These talks should include Mr. Burrowes presenting his detailed plan of action for moving the agency forward.

This proposed programme of action is needed and its endorsement should be examined not only by political policy makers but also by private sector organisations and their leaders. In recent years, the agency has been extensively criticised from the private sector, which contends the agency is underperforming and does not represent a bona fide one-stop agency for investors. Moreover, as chairman, Mr. Burrowes has been criticised severely by leaders in the private sector, who have placed the blame for the organisation’s ineffectiveness squarely on his shoulders, as he has served as the highest-ranking officer in the absence of a permanent CEO.  Many have called for an agency shakeup and the immediate appointment of an effective CEO. Many in the private sector were surprised that Mr. Burrowes was appointed CEO, as they believe he was a major part of the concerns surrounding the agency’s inability to function optimally.

However, Mr. Burrowes should be allowed space to establish a leadership role and be given the sufficiently practical opportunity to prove he can turn the agency around with fresh energy and vigor. But for that to happen, Mr. Burrowes will have to be proactive, taking his plan of action to both political and private sector stakeholders in order to obtain their input and to convince them that the agency plays a significant role in Guyana’s development. Thus, this would make for the stronger case to have the agency’s activities funded. 

Additionally, Mr. Burrowes should be given complete reign by the government to implement and execute his mandate without any unwelcomed interference. The government has to provide Mr. Borrowes and his team reasonable space and time to develop and craft appropriate strategies to woo and facilitate investors according to the laws and established frameworks governing the agency.

Only time will tell how effective Mr. Burrowes will be as CEO of what should be one of Guyana’s most important agencies for improving the nation’s competitive position in the world economy and markets. Thus, I wish him the best of fortunes.

Guyana Needs Local Government Elections Now!

Letter to the editor I sent to Stabroek news and was published on May 01.

Dear Editor,

I write to fully endorse the sentiments expressed in the SN April 30th Page One Comment and also congratulate your newspaper for the initiative to carry on its front page, news stories and references which agitate for the Local Government Minister to call and set a date for the urgently needed local government elections. After years without such a critical democratic component, it’s about time that changes!

Yours faithfully,

Clinton Urling

Founder

Blue CAPS