APNU+AFC Media Release
For immediate release
Friday, November 13, 2020
PPP must respect RDCs
The illegitimate PPP regime must live by what was intended in the regional system. The regional system prescribes that people elect the political party of their preference for the governance of their region. Once the people have spoken via Regional Elections, their choice must be respected and Central Government is obliged to cooperate with the region and is duty bound to adhere to the principles of good governance.
The supreme authority of the region is the Regional Democratic Council. The Council must be allowed to formulate and implement policies for the region which must be implemented by the Regional Public Service, inclusive of the Regional Executive Officer.
The people in Regions 4, 7 and 10 have chosen the APNU+AFC Coalition as the political party they want to manage the affairs of their region. It is therefore unacceptable for the PPP to seek to use public servants against the elected councils to achieve their narrow, partisan and malicious political ends.
The PPP must refrain from using regional officials to undermine the work of elected officials. The APNU+AFC Coalition condemns the unilateral, disrespectful and illegal attempt by the Region 4 Deputy REO’s to reassign the vehicle of the Regional Vice Chairman of Region 4. Clearly the decision is aimed at undermining the work of the people’s representatives.
The APNU+AFC Coalition wishes to point out to the illegitimate PPP regime and their wild man, Minister Nigel Dharamlall that Article 75 of the Constitution of Guyana states that, “Parliament shall provide that local democratic organs shall be autonomous and take decisions which are binding upon their agencies and institutions, and upon the communities and citizens of their areas”.
The law envisages control by the elected council and not by some wild, rogue Minister, more so an illegitimate one.
In addition, the constitution is clear on who is responsible for the management and development of the Region.
It states in Article 74 (1) that “It shall be the primary duty of local democratic organs to ensure in accordance with law the efficient management and development of their areas and to provide leadership by example.”
Dharamlall, the wild man, should note that RDCs are elected and do not fall under his “control”.
The APNU+AFC Coalition will challenge legally and politically the attempts by this illegitimate regime and its wild man Dharamlall to dominate and control local democratic organs which must be allowed to operate in keeping with the law.
It should also be noted that this utter nonsense of the PPP regime seeking to determine the plans and programmes of the regions violates the Constitution at Article 77 that states, “The development programme of each region shall be integrated into the national development plans, and the government shall allocate funds to each region to enable it to implement its development programme.”
Not only is central government obligated to fund these programmes, the Constitution in Article 77A states that, “Parliament shall by law provide for the formulation of objective criteria for the purpose of the allocation of resources to, and the garnering of resources by local democratic organs.”
The APNU+AFC Coalition calls on the illegitimate PPP regime to respect our constitution and end its attempts to dominate and control Regions in which the people voted for the APNU+AFC Coalition and rejected the illegitimate PPP regime.
-ENDS-
