00:00The government is proposing a major restructuring of Trinidad's local government system, increasing
00:06the number of municipal corporations from 14 to 17.
00:10The plan includes the creation of new boroughs in St. Augustine, Barataria and Kufa, the
00:16granting of city status to Shiguanas and the conversion of Sangre Grandi into a borough.
00:22For Tunapunapuyako, the proposal would see St. Augustine separated from the existing regional
00:28corporation, Walarima would be expanded and the remaining area would form a new Tunapunapuyako
00:36regional corporation.
00:37The Prime Minister has said the changes are intended to address population growth, development
00:43and disparities in the allocation of resources and representation.
00:48But Tunapunapuyako Regional Corporation Chairman Josiah Austin says the announcement is no
00:54surprise to him.
00:55This has been long awaited, something I've been warning the public about in media interviews
01:03on the public platform and trust and believe it's something.
01:07I mean, I'm not surprised.
01:09I'm not surprised.
01:10This is UNC at its best.
01:12Austin says his greater concern is not simply the redrawing of boundaries, but what the changes
01:18will mean for residents and the corporation's ability to provide services.
01:23The real challenge facing local government has never really been the size or the number
01:28of corporations.
01:29It's really ensuring that corporations have adequate and predictable funding, timely releases
01:34and the resources necessary to meet the needs of our communities.
01:37The chairman says the proposed changes also raise practical questions.
01:42There must be clarity on practical transition, particularly the allocation of staff, equipment, facilities
01:50and financial resources.
01:52Creating new municipal structures will also carry additional costs.
01:56So the public therefore deserves to know whether the additional funding will accompany
02:00these changes or whether existing local government resources will simply be divided
02:04among the greater number of corporations.
02:06The government has said the restructuring is aimed at achieving greater equity in the allocation
02:13of resources.
02:14Local government Minister Khadijah Amin previously pointed to disparities in population and representation
02:20among the existing corporations.
02:23She said some corporations have one councillor representing about 3,800 people, while in others
02:31the figure exceeds 15,700.
02:34We are not opposed to reform that improves local government, but reform must produce tangible
02:40benefits for the people we serve.
02:43Changing boundaries may restructure local government, however, it does not by itself reform it.
02:49For Austin, the measure of success would ultimately be whether residents receive better services.
02:55So real reform must be measured by whether corporations are better resourced, more empowered and better
03:02that we are able to deliver the services to our communities.
03:05Austin also has concerns about the membership of the committee examining the boundaries.
03:11What is also alarming to me personally is the amount of UNC members in the so-called boundaries committee.
03:17The chairman and gensek of the UNC, a former chairman of Separia Regional, then Separia Regional Corporation,
03:23and much more, when the PNM advanced Digo Martin to borough status, we also did so for Separia.
03:31What we are experiencing here is UNC at its best, at its finest, rigging and gerrymander the boundaries for its
03:37personal benefit.
03:38The government is expected to bring legislation to parliament where the proposed boundaries
03:43and the details of the restructuring can be debated.
03:47Arvashita Wari, Rupnarain, TV6 News.
