APNU Wants Guyana President To Keep His Promise And Hold Local Government Elections

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The opposition grouping, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Friday, called on President Donald Ramotar to uphold the pledge he made to hold Local Government elections “within one year of the 2011 general elections”.

Local Government elections were last held here in 1994, which was won by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

The APNU said that when he campaigned as the PPP/C presidential candidate, Ramotar had written in the party’s manifesto that “in the area of local government and governance, the next PPP/C government will ensure, within one year of the 2011 general elections, that local government elections are held bringing much needed reinvigoration into local government entities”.

The APNU said three years since the elections, President Ramotar “has failed to keep his promise on local government election”.

The opposition grouping accused the Head of State of showing “gross disrespect for the National Assembly by refusing to assent to a Bill, which was approved after careful scrutiny and arduous work” paving the way for the poll.

It said that Ramotar, when he was a member of the National Assembly at the time his party enjoyed a majority, voted in support of amendments for 12 consecutive years since 1997 to defer the holding of Local Government elections under the guise of “completing the reform of the Local Government system”. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic for over two decades has demonstrated its unwillingness to introduce Local Government reform, which was considered necessary to give effect to Article 12 of the Guyana Constitution.

“The PPP/C has deliberately underfunded municipalities and neighbourhoods and deliberately undermined democratically-elected local councils thereby inhibiting their development,” the APNU added.