Dear Editor,
The recent simultaneous resignations of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor have raised serious concerns about the governance and integrity of the Mahdia Town Council. It is clear that the circumstances surrounding these resignations are deeply troubling and warrant immediate attention.
Reports reaching my office indicate that the Town Clerk’s employment was influenced by political interference, particularly from the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and more glaringly implicated the Minister within the Ministry, the Honourable Pauline Sukhai. These reports prompted my office to conduct a preliminary investigation, which revealed misconduct by the minister. It is alleged that the minister repeatedly belittled their Worships, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and used her influence over the Town Clerk to undermine their authority. This conduct appears to have created a toxic environment, eroding respect for the council’s decisions and authority.
Moreover, this situation is not isolated to Mahdia; it reflects a broader pattern across other townships and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), where similar abuses of power and interference undermine democracy, good local governance, accountability and transparency.
Sir, specifically regarding the Mahdia Town Council, there are disturbing allegations of widespread multimillion-dollar corruption within the Council, and the current situation is being used as a cover-up. Editor, such practices not only undermine the township’s development and welfare, especially when decisions from ministers are made with the single intent to frustrate, intimidate, and ultimately negatively impact the life and livelihood of the residents, but these actions also threaten the integrity of local government institutions.
We therefore call on the Honourable Priya Manickchand, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, to take immediate action. An impartial investigation should be conducted into the circumstances leading to the resignations, and a comprehensive audit of the management and financial affairs of the Mahdia Town Council should be undertaken without delay.
Good governance, transparency, and accountability are essential for the development of our villages and townships. This underscores the need for the government to act now and take decisive action in this matter, more so when Her Worship, the Mayor, indicated in her letter of resignation, “her physical and mental health is unstable.” This should not be taken lightly.
The allegations of ministerial interference and corruption, which may have caused the Mayor’s health to be unstable, must also be investigated by this government, which claims to be a guardian of democracy, but its actions prove otherwise. It is time for the government to stop talking and take decisive action, showing Guyanese that it stands against corruption and truly embraces democracy. There is no better way than to fire the Minister if the allegations of her overreach and corruption are factual.
Yours truly,
Sherwin C. Benjamin,
General Secretary PNCR
