APNU Warns of Administrative Breakdown at Corriverton Town Council

By Mark DaCosta- The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the leading component of the opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), said on October 29 that the Corriverton Town Council is drifting into administrative breakdown. Meetings have stopped, committees are dormant, key posts are vacant and councillors, including some from the ruling PPP/C, are being shut out of decisions. The coalition argues that these failures leave a border town without proper financial oversight, market management or basic services. It is demanding intervention from the Ministry of Local Government and the Local Government Commission.

Corriverton sits at the eastern tip of Region Six, where the Corentyne River meets the Atlantic. It is home to roughly 12,000 people, and it is a gateway for trade and travel with Suriname. Its market, its roads and its drains are central to the daily lives of fishers, vendors and ratepayers. When the council that manages these things falters, residents feel it quickly.

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According to the APNU, information supplied by its councillor, Anil Sugrim, indicates that the council has “failed to convene meetings for two consecutive months”. Its committees, the bodies meant to scrutinise spending and operations, have reportedly gone quiet as well. The coalition says this raises hard questions about transparency and about whether the council is meeting its statutory duties under the laws governing municipal bodies.