Region 10 Chairman to take Regional Executive Officer to court for ignoring Council decisions

Last Updated on Thursday, 9 March 2023, 19:21 by Denis Chabrol

Region 10 Chairman Deron Adams on Thursday said he would be taking the Regional Executive Officer (REO) Dwight John over his alleged refusal to carry out decisions of the elected council.

“We’ll be engaging our attorneys to prepare the necessary document to pursue court action,” Mr Adams told Demerara Waves Online News.

However, Mr John rejected suggestions that he was ignoring decisions by the Council in that predominantly A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC)-controlled administrative region (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).  REOs and DREOs are politically appointed by central government.

Citing the recent vote by the Council to instruct the administration not to participate in the Mashramani 2023 celebration in Georgetown, he said the Regional administration disregarded that decision and instead went to the celebration in the capital city. Also at issue are claims by Mr Adams that Mr John asked him to omit the Mayor of Linden and the Region 10 parliamentary representative from the Regional Republic Flag Raising Ceremony. “I have no idea what he is talking about,” the REO, however, said.

Mr John said he did not hear the Regional Chairman’s allegations and so could not comment. Generally, Mr John dismissed Mr Adams’ claims of ignoring the Council’s lawful decisions. “The Council and I have a good working relationship all the years. I’ve never had an issue with the Council…Whatever lawful decision that is enshrined in the law, I will work accordingly,” he said.

The Chairman said the budget and all of the decisions are stated in the statutory minutes. “We have the evidence,” he remarked.

Asked why no legal action was contemplated before now, the Regional Chairman said over the past two years the elected council had been trying to ensure that that issues were resolved through a compromise but to no avail. “Clearly, the intervention by Central Government and its attempt to railroad the democratic principles of local organs is something that has reached the tipping point and so, at this stage, we have decided that enough is enough,” Mr Adams added.

People’s National Congress Reform-led APNU councillors recently passed a no-confidence motion against the Region Four (Demerara) Executive Donald Gajraj for similar alleged infractions. Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall has so far declined to comment on Mr Gajraj’s future in light of the no-confidence motion. Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram has since dispatched the motion to Mr Dharamlall.