Aug 18, 2026 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

(Kaieteur News) – The local government system, and the regional administration that is supposed to support are not equipped to deal with the mandate that they are supposed to have. They do not possess the money, the machinery, or the authority to mobilise the resources required to remove the water from the land or to give substantial relief to the people, as for example is the case when a koker breaks away or when there is flooding due to excess rainfall and poor drainage.

This weakness is partly the consequence of a long dependence on central government. The Regional Democratic Councils, the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and the municipalities have become creatures of the centre. They look upwards for money. They look upwards for permission. And when something goes wrong, the first instinct is to look upwards for someone to blame.