By Balford Henry, News EditorJAMAICA LABOUR Party (JLP) leader, Edward Seaga, said on Sunday that he did not wish for the Parish Councils, which are newly-controlled by his party, to be used for the harassment of the Government.
Mr. Seaga told newly elected JLP councillors at a retreat at the HEART Academy in Portmore yesterday, that while he expects the Councils to make presentations to Central Government for projects and support, he did not want them to make their cases in a manner which suggested that they were harassing the Government.
He said that the Councils were not there to receive instructions from Central Government. They must be active and develop their own ideas, debate them and forward the proposals to Central Government.
"You are there in order to make a strong case to Central Government that more money is needed, but not to do so in a manner that would look as if what you're trying to do is just to harass Central Government. You make a case for needed funds for needy cases," Mr. Seaga said.
He said, however, that issues like the proposed creation of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) should be addressed by the Councils, as justice was a concern for everyone. "But, I do not wish that the Councils be used as a means of harassment."
He said that the Councils need not be concerned about where Central Government is heading. "The dye is already cast for the Central Government to destroy itself," he said. "It is a matter of their own making. It is a matter of their lack of understanding of how an economy works in our system. It is a matter of them having little concern for the reaction of the people through to their arrogance... You can debate it, but you debate it on an intelligent basis," he said.
Mr. Seaga also announced that a number of party committees to be appointed to oversee the work of the councillors.
Among these are a performance committee; a planning and policy committee, which will look closely at the Government's proposals for Local Government reform; an oversight committee, which will be a watchdog committee to ensure that the party is not let down by the work of its councillors; a deportment committee, which will look at behaviour and conduct of the councillors and a Council of Mayors, which will allow JLP Mayors to meet on a regular basis to discuss their experiences.
