A recent meeting of community presidents held by Sucker Garden Community Leaders Foundation (see Tuesday newspaper) was noteworthy. They discussed the strengths, challenges and shared needs of their respective districts.
Community councils can play a significant part in neighbourhoods primarily because they are close to the people living and working there. For this reason it has been suggested in the past to give them certain governing authorities by law based on separate local elections.
The latter seems like a big step for these bodies that depend on volunteers, but the idea to entrust them with more responsibilities makes sense. Of course, it is essential that they are well-organised and have their affairs, including finances, in order.
There have also been proposals to change how Members of Parliament (MPs) get voted into office by switching to a system where they are elected for a specific district. This is already the case on many islands in the region.
One drawback is that MPs would then represent particularly that neighbourhood’s interests, while many feel they should defend those of the entire country. One does not have to exclude the other, but friction between the two may at times occur.
For now, professionalising the community councils and providing them with the necessary resources to handle their growing role ought to have priority. Such grass-roots efforts remain key to a balanced and positive development of each district.
