Vanessa Narine, Tuesday, 12 November 2013, Source

QUESTIONS over why President Donald Ramotar assented to only three of the four local government bills passed in the National Assembly on August 7 were put to rest on Friday last, when the Head of State, at a press briefing at Office of the President, maintained that the fourth bill is “unconstitutional”, as it seeks to remove ministerial control over local authorities.

President Donald Ramotar

The three local government bills assented to on November 6 are the Fiscal Transfers Bill 2012, Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill, and the Local Government Commission Bill.

The fourth piece of legislation, the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, seeks to vest control of local authorities in the Local Government Commission.

President Ramotar added that the Local Government (Amendment) Bill contains changes that were contrary to agreements made with his Administration by the main Opposition during a series of meetings. He said: “Before this Parliament (the 10th Parliament) came into existence, we had an agreement with the PNC; we had a full agreement with the Opposition, the PNC then.

“In this Parliament, they have decided to change it (agreement). Not only have they changed it, which in my view is unprincipled, but they have also made it unconstitutional. They have tried to take the authority of the minister and invest it into a commission. That goes against the Constitution, that’s why I didn’t assent to it.”

Local government elections have not been held in Guyana since 1994. Prior to that, local government elections were last held in 1970. Subsequent to 1994, the elections could not be conducted because they had coincided with the general and regional elections of 1997.