A MOTION to uphold the Local Government Act and approve the facilitation of the municipal elections by October this year was defeated in Parliament yesterday.
In moving the motion, Opposition Member of Parliament Lenora Qereqeretabua said that in 2008 the military regime abolished elected municipal councils in all municipalities and this came into effect in 2009.
Ms Qereqeretabua said elected council and mayors were then replaced by special administrators.
“This has been the practice for almost 10 years and now we see that the Ministry of Local Government under Minister Premila Kumar have decided not to hold elections but further consolidate government’s hold on municipalities by appointing a team of special administrators to replace single administrators,” she said.
Ms Qereqeretabua questioned the Government as to why they do not want municipal elections as this would ensure transparency of municipal councils and they would be held accountable by ratepayers and citizens of municipal councils.
She also claimed that after the appointment of Parveen Kumar as the then Minister for Local Government in 2014 he stated that there would be no elections unless and until their was a review of the Local Government Act.
“More than four years have lapsed since the then Local Government Minister’s announcement there is no sign of the reviewed Act or the review process itself,” she added.
In her right of reply, Minister for Local Government Premila Kumar said in the 2002 municipal elections they found that only 37 per cent of ratepayers and town dwellers voted.
“In 2005 it reduced further to 31 per cent of the city and town dwellers voted, it’s a clear indication that years and years of corruption and mismanagement actually led to loss of confidence in the elected councillors and their abilities to govern municipal councils,” she said.
Ms Kumar further alluded to the fact that the Local Government Act cannot just be changed overnight.
“Regarding the election process I am adamant that we cannot continue with the election process unless and until the review of the legislation that is local government that is done in consultation with the people of this country and not just the politicians,” she said.
Opposition member Mosese Bulitavu while in support of the motion said whether it was for national or local governments people need to be represented and the cornerstone of this was the right to vote.
Mr Bulitavu also questioned Mr Kumar on why he failed to uphold the promise he made when he was appointed in 2014.
Mr Kumar in response said the Terms of Reference for the Local Government Act was endorsed in Cabinet and the local government committee was working on it.
“Unfortunately not one of these reviews had a properly defined Terms of Reference,” he said
