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LOCAL
GOVERNMENT REFORM
Music
doesn’t match the words
By
Sheilah Solomon
Let me start by congratulating the Minister of Local Government,
Rene Dumas and his decentralisation co-ordinator, Cornelius
Price. They have made a valiant and sincere effort to provide
a citizen-centric local government transformation model and
most of the words of the White Paper reflect their approach.
Bless their Tobagonian hearts! Then check the music provided
for their text by the Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Decentralisation
in Appendix III: Functions and Responsibilities to be Decentralised
to Local Government Bodies.
In their innocence and sincerity the Tobagonians simply don’t
understand that no Trinidad politician, in government or opposition,
has the slightest intention of truly empowering communities.
Communities, of course, aka constituencies, only exist on
a map of “safe seats” for the one or the other party.
Communities must at all costs be kept underdeveloped and dependent
on handouts under threat of being (further) neglected by the
other party if it should come to power.
Power is the operative word here: dividing the country up
into straight-hair and curly-hair communities (aka constituencies)
is a very satisfactory power base. Why would any Trinidad
politician risk that by actually encouraging citizens to think
for themselves through relevant education and access to basic
facilities without daily stress?
Once communities start “getting above themselves”
by being “allowed” to participate in the processes
of planning their own development through genuine local government,
who knows what that could lead to? Democracy might begin to
rear its dangerous head!
Fear not, the inter-ministerial task force is not only keeping
power safely centralised but it is creating new jobs for the
boys (local ministers/ secretaries without decentralised resources)
and ensuring that only citizens within (politically correct)
village councils and community councils need be consulted
by local government authorities.
And while the task force was about it, it proposed urban councils
as well so that the stranglehold of party politics can be
complete. So much for consulting the civil society groups
who hold the society together, in spite of politicians, by
their dedicated nonpartisan work.
Apart from decentralising responsibility for the maintenance
of all public buildings, which is politically advantageous,
the only substantive responsibility that the task force is
prepared to let go is social service delivery, which is good
news and without political cost.
But everyone knows that the real political “pot of gold”
is the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender
Affairs: despite the fact that its mandate and extensive financial
and human resources relate most directly to where people live
or share their interests, it is only prepared to decentralise
the following: “Maintenance of emergency facilities (shelters)
in regions and communities.”
A special prize for brass-faced arrogance and contempt for
citizen participation is hereby awarded to that ministry.
So, after all the fine words about citizen participation through
local government, the music is a funeral dirge. Participatory
planning for equitable regional development is not to be “allowed”
to citizens. The Ministry of Local Government will however
be allowed to have a unit for rural planning—still safely
out of the reach of troublesome citizens.
As for linking local government to constitutional reform,
that is deliberately misleading the public. Local government
is not at present enshrined in the Constitution (the deliberate
choice of Dr Eric Williams) so changes require only a simple
majority.
The ludicrous proposal that two representatives of all local
government bodies should sit in the Senate without vote is
a non-starter. If they are without vote, they should not be
called senators; they can make their contributions to a standing
committee of Parliament, which requires no constitutional
amendment.
Sir Ellis Clarke understands that, of course, so to sweeten
the pill of the drastic constitution change to an executive
presidency, for which citizens have not asked, his draft will
offer us the lollipop of regional senators with votes.
Until the proposals for local government realistically respond
to the demands of citizens for participatory and transparent
governance, no such sweets for me, thanks!
All such constitutional and reform proposals must now be carefully
evaluated from the perspective of giving more power to people
and less to our “rulers.”
Perhaps the task force and entire Cabinet need to recall what
happened when the emperor wore his new clothes in public.
Sheilah Solomon is co-ordinator of TT Citizens Agenda Network
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