Member of Parliament for Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) Vinceroy Jordan has slammed Minister Nigel Dharamlall for undemocratic behaviour towards Neighborhood Democratic Councils in relation to the use of Government subventions for their community improvement projects.
Jordan made specific reference to a decision by the Ministry to instruct the NDCs what the Government provided subventions should be used for thereby breaking a time honoured tradition of respect for the wishes of the Councils in the use of these monies.
Jordan said that he was aware that several NDCs in Region 5 had indicated their use of the $5M for projects taking into consideration local problems and needs.
“The Union Naarstigheid NDC for example had indicated that they would use the $5M subvention to build two badly needed bridges in two needy communities but lo and behold the Minister vetoed that decision,” he said.
“The Minister through the Regional Executive Officer of Region 5 Ms. Genevieve Blackman has told the Chairperson of that NDC that the Ministry would approve only $2.5 for construction of one bridge and the other $2.5M of their subvention must be allocated for provision of street lights and purchase of crusher run materials for the repairs and maintenance of roads in that NDC.”
“This is unprecedent and even though it is the Government money and they can dictate how we should spend it; there is that little matter of democracy and respect for our tier of Government. Democracy must not just be something we should merely give lip service to but something we who call ourselves leaders should practice at every level,” he said.
Meanwhile Chairperson of the Union Naarstigheid NDC Mrs Tiffany McFarlane confirmed that in her NDC the direction of the Ministry on what projects the Council should undertake and what it should not undertake using Government subventions, had been communicated to her by the Regional Executive Officer of the Region 5 Ms. Genevieve Blackman.
“The REO told me that that directive had been handed down from the Ministry and as such we had to comply with that direction. She did not say that the $2.5 M would be withheld if we did not comply but that was very strongly implied,” Mrs McFarlane said.
“I have been Chairperson of this NDC for the past five years and this has never happened before”.
“In those years what happened was that the Council met, decided on what we would do with the subventions and submit our programme . The subvention money was released without any conditions attached other than strict accountability for its use,” she said.
“So where are we now with respect to Councils getting assistance in playing a seriously meaningful role in addressing local issues and solving local problems?” she asked.
She joined with MP Jordan in urging that the decisions by the Minister ref the use of subvention funds by her NDC and others similarly affected, be repealed and that grass roots management of communities be respected by the Minister and the PPP/C Ministry of Local and Regional Development.
Meanwhile a reliable source disclosed that that situation underlined the need for both sides of the political divide to address the shortcomings in the Local Government Act which makes such behavior possible.
“If it had been within the law for the subventions to be given without any conditions other than strict accountability this could not have happened,” the source said.
“But at the moment there is no law ascribed to this. So until such law is passed its just a matter of commitment to democracy and respect for this very important third tier of Government by the Ministry of Local and Regional Development ,” the source said.
