THE Andrew Holness Administration is facing increased criticism over its failure to disclose when the long-postponed local government elections will be held.

This time it is democracy watchdog Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) which has chided the Administration.

The local government elections were initially due in late 2020 but have been postponed on two occasions since then.

Last January the House of Representatives approved the Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporations and City Municipalities) Act, 2022 before the Senate also approved the postponement for a further 12 months to no later than February 2023.

But with that timeline now impossible to be met there has been no official word from the Holness Administration and no provision in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure for the more than $1 billion which the electoral office has said it will need to conduct the poll.

Late Monday evening the schedule for today’s sitting of the Parliament stated that the Representation of the People (Postponement of Elections to Municipal Corporations and City Municipalities) Act, 2023 will be tabled and taken.

Last week, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) requested that the Government disclose its intentions regarding the setting of a date for the staging of the local government elections.

The JCC was quickly joined by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), which expressed concern over the delays by the Government in executing the vote.

In adding its voice to the calls, CAFFE argued that the holding of regular elections to determine who should exercise governmental powers on behalf of the people is essential to the maintenance of democracy.

“Local government elections have been repeatedly postponed in Jamaica, thus defeating the people’s right to decide at reasonable intervals who should represent them,” said CAFFE.

“CAFFE, therefore, supports the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the Private Sector Organisation [of Jamaica] in their criticisms of the Government’s decision to postpone the holding of national local government elections. The decision of the Government is particularly disturbing because the last local government elections were held in 2016, which means that the current members of the municipal corporations have been permitted to serve the equivalent of two normal terms although they have not been re-elected by the people for a second term.

“In addition, there are several vacancies existing for over a year for which no by-elections have been held, and the people have been left unrepresented at the local level,” added CAFFE.

The election watchdog group pointed out it was in 2015 that the constitution was amended for the specific purpose of making provision for the inclusion of a democratic system of local government.

“This further delay in the holding of the municipal elections makes [a] mockery of the constitutional declaration and therefore increases the dangers which follow from a devaluation of democratic principle,” argued CAFFE.

It charged that the dangers are even more aggravated by the almost nonchalant manner in which the postponement has been treated.

“The time for fixing the nomination day passed without any clear public announcement. The postponement was made public without any indication that there was a recognition of the importance and implications of the failure. The electorate has been severely disrespected,” said CAFFE.

The group charged that any excuse to delay the elections because of financial challenges is weak and unacceptable.

“The last postponement in 2022 extended the time by 12 months. It is impossible to believe that the Government was not then aware of Jamaica’s financial position. The Government has been stating that Jamaica’s finances have improved over the last financial year.

“In any event, if this excuse can be so easily advanced, our democracy is in great danger. CAFFE therefore calls on the Government to take the necessary steps, as a matter of urgency, to fix an early date for the holding of national local government elections.”

CAFFE also endorsed the call for reform of Jamaica’s present systems so that parliamentary and municipal general elections are held at fixed dates instead of being left to the unregulated discretion of politicians.