Senior Counsel and former Opposition Member of Parliament Roysdale Forde has issued a strong warning against the Central Government’s approach to revitalising the capital city, Georgetown, arguing that the current strategy advanced by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration violates the Constitution and undermines local democratic governance.
In a detailed and forcefully worded op-ed titled “A Sustainable City Revival Cannot Be Built on Constitutional Erosion,” Forde said the government’s exclusion of the elected Mayor and City Council (M&CC) from major redevelopment plans not only threatens the legitimacy of those efforts but represents a “direct assault” on constitutional principles.
“Any redevelopment endeavour that circumvents the integral and substantive participation of the duly elected Mayor and City Council constitutes a fundamental derogation from democratic imperatives,” Forde stated.
There is widespread view President Irfaan Ali’s pronouncements about revitalising Georgetown ring hollow when weighed against his government’s long-standing financial strangulation of the very institution tasked with managing the city.
The PPP/C administration has consistently withheld adequate funding, blocked revenue-generating initiatives, and maintained control over key municipal appointments, effectively sabotaging the Council’s ability to function. To now position the central government as the saviour of the capital is both politically cynical and constitutionally disingenuous.
Forde accused the PPP/C of using the narrative of “mismanagement” at City Hall as a pretext to seize control over municipal functions and impose centralised authority over the city’s affairs. According to the senior counsel, this tactic not only disrespects the electorate but also violates key provisions of the Guyanese Constitution.
Citing Article 75, he reminded the public that “Local Democratic Organs shall be autonomous,” arguing that this autonomy is not optional or symbolic—it is a constitutional requirement.
“Such exclusionary tactics do not merely imperil the initiative’s viability; they constitute a direct assault upon the cardinal constitutional tenets of separation of powers and decentralised governance,” he wrote.
Forde also pointed to the Local Government Commission, established under Article 77 and reinforced in Article 78A, which is constitutionally mandated to “monitor” local authorities—not to replace or override them. However, he contended that in practice, the Commission has been used by the executive to weaken local councils.
“In praxis, this has devolved into a mechanism for emasculating the elected Council’s dominion over its cadre,” Forde said, highlighting the government’s control over the hiring, transfer, and discipline of municipal staff as a key issue.
Forde contended that much of the alleged dysfunction at City Hall is the result of deliberate central government interference, citing long-term underfunding, denial of revenue-generating initiatives, and political manipulation as factors that have crippled the M&CC’s ability to function effectively.
“Candour demands acknowledgment before Georgetown’s populace: the bulk of this ostensibly chronic inefficiency is a contrived plan, precipitated by protracted underfunding, statutory impediments, and partisan meddling,” Forde wrote.
He argued that Georgetown’s revival cannot be successfully or lawfully led by the Central Government without the full involvement of the elected municipal body. He warned that continued overreach would not only violate the rights of the city’s residents but set a dangerous precedent for other local authorities across the country.
“This audacious centralisation puts at risk not only Georgetown’s local democracy but establishes a baleful precedent eroding every local authority nationwide,” Forde cautioned.
He noted that under Section 97 of the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01, the City Council has legal authority over the management of streets, bridges, drains, markets, and public buildings—functions that cannot be unilaterally taken over by central government without legislative amendments.
“To now posit that the central government shall arrogate select statutory and municipal prerogatives under the veneer of urban regeneration constitutes an unconscionable overreach,” he said.
Calling for “authentic deliberation and participatory engagement,” Forde insisted that the PPP/C must abandon its “autocratic, hierarchical posture” and instead demonstrate constitutional respect if it is truly committed to Georgetown’s development.
“The restoration of Georgetown commences not with infrastructural accretions or thoroughfares, but with the restitution of veneration for our democratic edifice,” Forde concluded. “Anything less would betray the sacrosanct covenant of the Constitution and the solemn oath we all bear to serve Guyana’s sovereign people.”
Forde’s statement comes at a time when the government has announced sweeping plans to modernise Georgetown, raising concerns among local officials and opposition leaders about the exclusion of elected bodies and the potential erosion of local governance structures.
