Norton Calls for Greater Autonomy in Local Government
By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly
Presidential candidate for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton, is pressing for a more devolved local government system, arguing that communities must be given genuine power to make decisions.
Speaking on the radio program Politics, Elections & You with Bobby Vieira, Norton criticized what he described as the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) “control and dominate” approach toward municipalities and neighborhood democratic councils (NDCs). He said this practice has stifled development and weakened community initiative.
“When you deprive councils of the ability to take initiatives, you prevent real development. We intend to have local government that is active, dynamic, and free from political interference,” Norton stated.
He further argued that local authorities, by law, are empowered to make decisions for the areas they govern, and emphasized that citizens must be directly involved in shaping their communities’ future.
Community leaders have echoed this concern. Walston Martins, Chairman of the Buxton-Foulis NDC, said central government has repeatedly attempted to bypass local leaders in matters of development, resulting in substandard projects in communities such as North Melanie and Bachelors Adventure. Martins added that the exclusion of local authorities shows a lack of concern for predominantly Afro-Guyanese communities.
