Make the municipalities politically neutral
published: Sunday | February 2, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE GRANTING of municipal status to Portmore represents a strategic arrangement for liberalising municipal power throughout the island. It symbolises the implementation of local government reform fully backed by the PNP and partially endorsed by the JLP that transforms local governance into a two-tier structure with regions (counties) being the first-tier and municipalities the second.
However, while we should laud the parts of the plan that loosen the municipal status stranglehold and expect governance for the regions (counties) to be contested along political lines, we, as a nation, must be fervent that these new municipalities do not become the dumping grounds for mediocre politicians.
Given our history of political strife, I am of the opinion that political competition at the national and regional (county) level is more than adequate for our small nation. Therefore, I suggest we make the municipalities politically neutral and the granting of municipal status the cornerstone for community building.
