Since when does the PPP recognize the importance of local government?
Someone drew to my attention, the PPP’s mouthpiece newspaper, the Chronicle Editorial of Tuesday 18th April, 2023 entitled ‘A clear choice?” The article at best is a classic example of hypocrisy and inaccuracy. The article emphasizes the importance of local government as it said and I quote ‘this event marks a significant milestone for the democratic process, as citizens will have a direct say in who will represent them and make decisions on their behalf at the local level.’ They claimed that people are leaning towards the PPP/C to lead Georgetown.
Briefly, I set out below facts for which there is abundant evidence. Since when does the PPP leadership recognize the importance of local government as set out in those high sounding phrases above? One, for twenty-one years, the PPP in office failed to hold local government elections? And it took the David Granger administration to restart the process. Second, every effort was made by the PPP administration to suffocate those municipalities, such as Georgetown, where they lost. Third, everyone knows that for a Municipality to deliver its service requires money and management. The PPP has without exception but in particular Georgetown denied those councillors access to these two vital ingredients, money and management.
They refused every initiative of the Georgetown Municipality to raise funds and disallowed the Mayor and Councillors the opportunity to identify qualified persons to take charge of the several important divisions of the Council. This includes ignoring the several reports and recommendations to streamline and modernize the municipalities. It is time the PPP hierarchy and their media outlets stop fooling citizens. You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all the time and do not expect the state-controlled media to publicize this letter. But if any of the letter writers question the veracity of the contents of this letter, I challenge them to an open debate anywhere, anytime. This will give me and others an open opportunity to go into details and facts to expose the hypocrisy if not dishonesty of the PPP asseverations that it is wedded to the principle of local government which in a truly democratic society is the lynchpin of good governance.
No one should be fooled in Georgetown or elsewhere by this robust rhetoric flowing from a well-funded and well-staffed information machinery. An important factor for decent people is, unlike the PNC and independent groups, no Party since the Waddington Constitution triggered, in 1953 the right for every adult to vote, has had such an enormous sum of money to spend on an LGE Campaign. For many, with the rising cost of living, this money which the PPP has in abundance is a temptation.