MSJ: Depoliticise local government

THE Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) said the proposals in The Miscellaneous Provisions (Local Government Reform) Bill 2019 are weak and lacks depth.

The bill is now before a Joint Select Commission which will submit a report to the Parliament on September 27 for debate, possibly before the end of the term of local government comes to an end in November.

MSJ leader David Abdulah said local government is a critical pillar of democracy in TT but it is not performing the role intended because the system is corrupted by the involvement of party politics.

“We must begin to depoliticise local government,” Abdulah said on Sunday at a news conference at its Lord Street, San Fernando headquarters.

He said because of the system of governance, councillors see themselves as a representative of the party on whose platform they were selected, rather than as representative of the community and people who elected them.

“Instead of having parties contesting, we should move to a system of individual contesting, individuals who are recognised by the community as persons who have done good community work so you will really get community representation rather than party representation at the level of local government. Party politics should not be involved.”

Calling for the empowerment of village and community councils, Abdulah observed that because of the partisan politics community centres are viewed as the private property of the party in power.

He said that has to be broken and changed.

“We are very critical of what is now before the Parliament and the JSC. We don’t think it is going deep enough. It does not address, fundamentally, putting power in the hands of the people where they live in their communities.

“We also believe there should be the right of recall of all elected officials, MP’s and councillors if they are not performing or serving the interest of the community, again to give citizens more control and power.”