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…as local gov’t elections postponed again Almost half of the 65 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) across the country have Interim Management Committees (IMCs) installed,Jeremy Roenick Jersey, government revealed yesterday.According to Junior Minister of Local Government, Norman Whittaker,Mark Scheifele Team North America Jersey, some 29 of these local democratic organs tasked with running their respective districts are IMCs. A total of three of the six townships also have the interim bodies installed. And these were all done in the last eleven years.The disclosures were made yesterday during a sitting of the National Assembly where government successfully moved a Bill to postpone local government elections, pending completion of a review by a Parliamentary team.Shortly before the vote, the combined opposition insisted that the postponement should instead be a deadline for holding elections, by November the latest.According to Local Government Minister, Ganga Persaud, the postponement is critical,CM Punk Jersey, as four Bills that will see mandatory reforms are before a special select committee of the National Assembly. He said that the 1997 General Elections saw the establishment of a task force which was given the mandate to prepare legislative reforms. Opposition members who were part of that task force were blamed for the delays.Persaud said he is unaware where the unhappiness exists over the IMCs as procedures were followed in their installation.Making a case for the postponement of the elections, he said that the proposed legislation is almost completed and elections will be held.There has been increasing pressure both locally and internationally for the hosting of local government elections which were last held in 1994. NDCs and administrations of the towns started to experience problems as elected officials died,Charlie Coyle Jersey, migrated or simply resigned. With poorly maintained infrastructure, problems collecting rates and taxes and corruption, government in recent months have been installing an increasing number of IMCs.Handpicked loyalistsThe opposition Alliance For Change and A Partnership For National Unity (APNU),Aaron Ekblad Team North America Jersey, yesterday accused government of handpicking members of the IMCs – persons who are government loyalists.Recently the US, Canadian and British embassies urged for local government elections to be held soonest,Morgan Rielly Team North America Jersey, calling also for consensus to be found among the political parties.APNU’s Shadow Minister of Local Government, Ronald Bulkan, argued that the Bill to postpone did not specify when elections will be held. In effect, it allowed government to continue to “dismember” and “dissolve” NDCs and townships and reeks of disrespect and disdain.Bulkan said that the energies placed by government in recent months to install IMCs should have instead been used to ensure steps and mechanisms are in place for long overdue elections.He believed that the delays to hold elections are but part of the government’s agenda not have any.According to Bulkan, the special committee could be ready in as little as four weeks to complete its work to review the new legislation before it could be ready for debate and passage in the National Assembly.But Minister Whittaker was insistent that the IMCs were not created by his government but rather part of the country’s laws.In defending the government’s interventions to install IMCs, he said that when communities’ affairs are not managed properly, citizens can petition the Ministry for redress. The process for public consultations leading to the installation of IMCs followed a strict process of being advertised, with the reports available for public scrutiny.The opposition denied that they have access to the reports of the public consultations. They said notices in the Guyana Chronicle are not enough,Colton Parayko Team North America Jersey, as “nobody reads that newspaper”.Joint effortMinister Whittaker said that government is not sitting idly waiting on the committee’s work to be completed…changes have started.The official also pointed out that the reforms are a joint activity between government and the opposition but it has been delayed. He urged the opposition to use the opportunity to collaborate.APNU’s Renis Morian said the Bill is an example of how Guyanese rights have been “raped” to decide who is in power,Teuvo Teravainen Jersey, reiterating that instead of a postponement,Stan Mikita Jersey, there should be a deadline for the elections.He likened the IMCs to the Biblical character, Nicodemus – installed in the stealth of the night. He asserted that Guyanese want to see the democratic process alive again.AFC’s Dr. Veersammy Ramayya opined that government is running scared of elections because of “more than likely losses”. “All the political parties heading to the new year had promised to pull out the stops for the hosting of elections. This year, 2013, should be a watershed moment for Guyana”.Meanwhile, APNU’s Basil Williams who is part of the special Parliamentary Committee, said that had government been serious about elections, it would have used its majority in the previous administration to push through reforms. He also argued for the special committee to be open for the media since government has been giving its side of the meetings.Speaker Raphael Trotman will now be examining the possibilities of allowing reporters to the committee’s sittings.