The 'soldiers' of our grassroots democracy, the excited candidates for 141 seats, are now busy preparing for August 14.
Unfortunately, many begin as soldiers - confident and willing - but soon, as so many citizens have complained, go 'missing in action,' deserting their constituents in need. And, frankly, accountable to no one with sanctions.
Could the new Executive Council oversight remedy this?
We hope that party screening brings us an improved 'fit for purpose' group of councillors and not with the same backward style of slackers and deserters. Will the voter turnout be much more than the 34 per cent of 2019, as evidence that our grassroots democracy has grown in the last three years?
One of the dark failures of our local government system is the tolerance of failed councillors who thrive on party protection rather than effectively serving their community.
There are therefore grassroots issues and big-picture issues regarding local government.
In fact, there may be need for a system whereby any lazy, 'missing in action' (MIA) councillor could be recalled by burgesses. There have been so many media-driven complaints by citizens - from all corners of the country - regarding MIA councillors. This is part of the dark side. Would increased salaries and the full-time four-year term help?
Citizens now have high expectations that after August 14 their problems will be positively tackled by the newly elected councillors, and they are not just elected for pride and fame.
Are the new councillors entering a den of inequity or a temple for public service? Will the PNM again govern three corporations (10-0, 12-0, 6-0) with no UNC seats? Will the UNC again govern three corporations (14-0, 10-0, 9-0) with no PNM seats?
The 'zero' doesn't mean there are no other citizens. The complicated alderman proportionality does not heal this 'democratic inequity' at the ground level, which affects day-to-day living. Equity for public resources must be available.
Current local government reform helplessly perpetuates the inequity by majority. Democracy by majority should have limits at the basic community levels. It gets more sinister inside when a corporation has a six-one or seven-one division. This is a big picture challenge, especially with the increased powers of the corporation's mayor and his control over the CEO.
We may be able to tolerate skewed political divisions in Parliament mainly because proceedings are highly visible, with certain public measures of accountability, though pressures are building for parliamentary reforms too.
Many countries professing democracy are now under heavy citizens' protests for the gross inequities perpetrated by majorities that become dictatorship in practice.
The old concept of democracy itself is now facing serious questions. It is no longer a simple matter of having a majority. Individual rights and freedoms must be fairly preserved too. Humanitarianism must sometimes overcome politics.
These are big-picture issues which, like local government reform itself,
