Make a greater push for fixed local government elections, says StJMC’s Kerry Thomas

WESTERN BUREAU:

Kerry Thomas, councillor of the Mt Salem division in the St James Municipal Corporation [StJMC], is calling on the island’s municipal corporations to advocate more strongly for fixed local government elections, if they hope to gain the respect of central government and the wider society.

Speaking at Thursday’s monthly meeting of the StJMC, Thomas, who is part of the People’s National Party [PNP] minority, said local authorities must insist on the mandatory four-year period when local government elections are constitutionally due.

“We must understand that one of the things that is happening in Jamaica today is that central government seems to treat the local municipal authorities like a bastard child,” said Thomas. “So, if the central government starts to treat the local authorities properly and stick to the four-year election rule, then the society will start to look at local government in a serious way.”

The local government elections were constitutionally due in 2020 but were postponed twice, the last time on February 28 this year. The reason given for this latest postponement was that the Electoral Commission of Jamaica [EOJ] would not be able to train election day workers in time because they did not have the required budget. The COVID-19 pandemic was cited as the reason in 2020.

“... This is the third extension of the local government (elections), so you do not take it seriously,” said Thomas, echoing the position of his party.

“ Change has to start somewhere. So, therefore, whoever has the power now should implement that change rather than talk about the history of the past,” added Thomas.

He was responding to a call by Government Senator Charles Sinclair, the councillor for the Montego Bay Northeast division, for local government representatives to push for reformation to better serve their constituents.

According to Sinclair, if local government reform is to take place, then central government needs to give the municipal bodies more freedom to function.

“In every parish, we have municipal corporations that are the local government for the parish. But, for things that we can or should do, or be authorised to do, it is as if we have some big brother standing somewhere and saying ‘you cannot’,” said Sinclair. “We have to demand real reform, that the municipal corporations can be more responsive to the needs of the people in a particular locale. Because what may be needed in St James may be different from what is needed in Trelawny or St Mary,” he said.