Mahipaul accuses Government of not catering for Local Elections in Budget 2022

Opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul today accused the government of not setting aside funds in the 2022 National Budget for Local Government Elections, although the elections are constitutionally due.

Mahipaul accuses Government of not catering for Local Elections in Budget 2022

With no local government elections being held last year, the Opposition is accusing the government of not putting provisions in place to ensure the elections take place this year.

Opposition Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul today accused the government of not setting aside funds in the 2022 National Budget for Local Government Elections, although the elections are constitutionally due.

“Mr. Speaker, Local Government Elections are overdue, it is a constitutional requirement, was there any mention of local government elections in this budget presentation? To my recollection the answer is a resounding no. This regime is not focused on ensuring and upholding the holding of local government elections”, the MP said.

According to Mr. Mahipaul, the government appears set to further delay the elections. He said the delay in hosting the elections is putting local government bodies under threat.

“What we have is a local government agenda that is in reverse. There is no provision in the budget for strengthening local governance and local government, absolutely no provisions. No money for Local Government elections. Whenever the PPP is in government, they have a strong track record of denying Guyanese their right to local governance,” Mahipaul noted.

He obereved as well that the budget does not cater for strengthening local government systems and also explained that it appears that the government is looking to take control of the local system.

The Opposition Member of Parliament also accused the government of victimizing the regions which are supportive of the opposition by cutting their allocations while increasing the allocations for the regions which were won by the PPP.

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