July 22

micevan1l6

By Gary EleazarThe People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has now confirmed that it will participate in the Local Government elections as long as the relevant reforms have been completed in their entirety.The statement was made yesterday during a press briefing hosted by Executive Member Aubrey Norton and Member of Parliament Keith Scott.PNCR MP, Keith ScottThis, however, came only after the latter sought to discredit an article which appeared in this newspaper, captioned, “PNCR’s participation in Local Govt. Elections still unclear.”According to Scott, the article was, “mischievous and misleading,” but it was pointed out to the MP that the article was prepared based on comments made by the party’s Vice Chairman and Member of Parliament, Basil Williams, who was asked specifically whether his party would contest the elections based on its position on the credibility of the voters’ list being compiled.Williams had responded that he could not say definitively, given that it was too early and any answer he proffered would be speculation.LIST YET TO BE SCRUTINISEDMeanwhile, the party also noted that in the finalization process of the new National Register of Registrants, (NRR) or voters’ list, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is yet to publish, for public information and scrutiny, the list of persons registered. “Also to be undertaken is the cross-matching of fingerprints to remove potential duplicates… completion of these processes to the satisfaction of all stakeholders is a necessary precondition for the production of any new and credible Voters’ List for the holding of Local Government Elections.”Scott also noted that the party has written Clinton Collymore, the Co-Chairman of the Joint Task Force on Local Government Reform, expressing concern about the tardiness with which the Government’s representatives on the Task Force have been attending to their work.He noted that the Task Force has rarely been meeting, due to the failure of Collymore to call meetings.According to Scott, Collymore, by way of a letter dated July 22, 2008, informed members of the Task Force, that comprises both members of the PNCR and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), that due to his responsibilities related to the holding of the 29th Congress of the PPP/C, he was suspending the weekly meetings of the Task Force with effect from Tuesday, July 22, 2008.Scott noted that, despite the conclusion of the PPP/C’s Congress, no notice of resumption of meetings has been given to the PNCR members on the Task Force.“The PNCR therefore registered a serious protest against the dilatory practices of the Government side of the Task Force, contending they had crippled its progress….The PNCR’s concern is especially so in light of the statements by Dr. Roger Luncheon and Mr. Donald Ramotar purporting to suggest that work of the Task Force is proceeding smoothly.”According to Scott, the PNCR noted that the Task Force is yet to agree on the proposals for fiscal transfers and the modalities of the electoral system, “The PNCR would consider nothing agreed upon until all of the laws relating to the proposed changes in the Local Government system have been presented to and approved by the Local Government Task Force.”Local Government elections have not been held in Guyana since 1994.