18 Jun 2019

Councillors at Central District Council (CDC) will, June 25 convene an all-party caucus with a view to compiling their grievances to be communicated to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.

Speaking during a brief opening of CDC full council session, June 17, chairperson, Mr Peter Williams said that the caucus would elect a four-person team that would be discharged with meeting up with the minister to table councillors’ grievances. 

Chief among the grievances would be adjustment of salaries and allowances for councillors. 

Mr Williams argued that though elected representatives, cllrs were treated as lesser politicians despite them being closer to and serving the people on a daily basis. 

“We are unfortunate that no one represents our interests at Parliament,” said the CDC chairman, who advanced that MPs had a platform to advance their grievances pertaining to their salaries and allowances where they are subsequently addressed. 

Although Mr Williams expressed that he was alive to the fact that some cllrs dismissed his advancements, he was adament that councillors were ‘taken for granted.’

He emphasised the importance of cllrs in a democratic setup, even suggesting that had it been possible, local government elections could be held separately from those of MPs.

“Tota re basotlegi,” he quipped and observed that many cllrs had complaints about their welfare, but neither did they have the liberty nor the platform to air them. ends