Barnswell warns ALGA-J on verge of collapse
Published:Friday | October 18, 2024 | 12:10 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Scean Barnswell, the councillor for the Hayes division in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation, says the Association of Local Government Authorities of Jamaica (ALGA-J), the body that represents the nation’s councillors, is on the brink of collapse.
Barnswell, a long-standing People’s National Party (PNP) councillor, said ALGA-J was teetering on the brink because it has not held an annual general meeting in the past seven years, raising concerns about its governance structure and effectiveness.
The experienced Barnswell, who served a stint as president of ALGA-J from 2012 to 2016, said that in its current state, the union is not meeting its mandate with regard to the critical role the organisation needs to play in advocating for local government officials.
“We have not had an AGM since 2017, and we now have new councillors and mayors following the last local government elections,” Barnswell said. “Not having an annual meeting has severely hampered ALGA-J’s ability to address key issues and represent the interests of councillors effectively.”
Barnswell furthered argued that the absence of these meetings has led to a significant decline in the organisation’s activities and influence, hampering its effectiveness as it relates to high- quality representation.
“Many councillors feel disconnected and unsupported, which has further exacerbated the challenges faced by local government authorities across the island,” stated Barnswell.
According to Barnswell, a notice of motion petitioning the president and his executive has been tabled in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation, urging the seven-year-old ALGA-J executive to call its AGM next month as part of the activities to celebrate Local Government Month.
“I have given notice (of a resolution) at the last meeting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation that we, the members, are requesting that an annual general meeting of ALGA-J be held in November this year,” Barnswell told The Gleaner. “This move is part of efforts to rescue and revitalise ALGA-J to the organisation’s functionality and ensure it can fulfil its mandate.”
Quizzed as to the factors that have led to ALGA-J not holding its AGM for such an extended period, Barnswell blamed it on the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which has control of the majority of the municipal corporations.
However, Milton Maragh, the incumbent president of ALGA-J, says he is aware of the concerns being expressed by Barnswell but noted that following the passage of Hurricane Beryl, a decision was taken to further delay the AGM.
“The last meeting we had was at the end of July, following the passage of Hurricane Beryl, where the decision was taken, once again, to postpone the AGM and elections for six months to give everybody enough time to recover,” Maragh told The Gleaner. “The six months will take us into February, after which the executive will seek to arrive at a new date.”
With regard to a resolution petitioning his executive to call the AGM, which Barnswell spoke about, Maragh said if the majority of the 227 councillors across the island are in agreement with that position, then the executive would have to comply.
“Clarendon alone can’t make it happen,” said Maragh. “The executive will decide. I can’t tell them what to do. I can only explain certain things to them, but they don’t have to listen to me.”
Last week, councillors in the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation questioned the status of ALGA-J while seeking answers to their travelling benefits, which were granted to civil servants under the last wage and fringe benefits for which they should have been included.