| By Kiana WilburgThe recent passage of the Local Government Reform Bills in the National Assembly has heightened interest in Local Government Elections which have not been held since 1994.The Government has since indicated that these elections could be held within six months while the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has said it is ready for the much anticipated process.Afc’s David PattersonRegistrar of the University of Guyana, Vincent Alexander, who is also a GECOM commissioner, expressed that by definition, Local Government can be described as the administration of legal affairs that may be otherwise administered by Central Government but administered by a body of local people who are either appointed or elected.In the political sense, Alexander said that Local Government seeks to deepen democracy, which allows more people to be involved at the level of administration and/or representation. With regard to the administrative aspect, local governance aims to have a mechanism that is more efficient and effective in the delivery of services at the local level and at the administration of local affairs.With the definition and objective in mind, one can be able to clearly ascertain how the four amendments will be able to provide the platform for local government to achieve its true purpose in a more efficient and effective manner.The bills that were passed on August 7th and still await the President’s assent are; the Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2012, Local Government Commission Bill 2012, Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Bill2012 and the Fiscal Transfers Bill 2012.Fiscal Transfer Bill 2012Alexander stated that the present system provides for local authorities to collect taxes on properties in local areas, to generate revenue through market rent etc and to get subvention from the Central Government.The subvention is given at the discretion of Central Government.Under the new system, they will continue to have taxes, raised revenues, through provision of services but the government subvention will no longer be an arbitrary subvention but one deemed by the use of a formula.In the old system, the government gave three million to the local government regardless of size and population. However, Alexander said that in the new system the government will identify a “lump-sum” for the Local Government and the formula will determine how much each local authority gets.The factors in the formula are; population, size,Cheap NBA Jerseys China, area and revenue raising ability/record; that is, how much revenue and taxes it actively collects.The advantage here is that government could no longer exercise favoritism in giving out subvention.David Patterson, member of the Alliance for Change, noted that the idea behind the formula is that it removes the politicizing of the system.Local Government Commission Bill 2012This bill establishes a Local Government Commission, which does two things; controls staffing arrangement at the local authorities and regulates the elements of the operations of local authorities.Vincent AlexanderPatterson noted that the Local Government Commission will ensure oversight and the Commission will be in control of hiring and firing of staff. He indicated that the Commission is of great importance since it inhibits the interference by a Minister and it therefore becomes more professional.Local Government Amendment Act and Municipal and District Act 2012Local government is regulated by the Municipal and District Councils Act and the Local Government Act.These Acts were basically amended to ensure that the reference powers of the Minister were removed and invested in the Commission.Patterson explained that in the old act, the officers of the local authority such as Town Clerks, reported to the Minister.However, this will no longer be the case as they will now have to report directly to the Commission.According to Alexander, the reformed bills in essence make Local government more representative of the people’s interest; it enhances good governance, and more people are involved in the decision making process who are not hamstrung or restricted by a political party.Further, it also reduces political tension in areas where work is needed to lend towards national development. From the financial standpoint, Alexander said that everyone gets a fair share of the cake as it reduces interference in who is given more. Moreover, staffing control by the Commission gives more leverage to have more control of their area. |
