Councillors Sworn-In

by Cyprian Yarde

August 14, 1997 - The first in a series of swearing ceremonies for City, Town and Village Councilors took place on Monday 11, August 1997.
Eight councilors to manage the affairs of the Castries City Council took their oath of office thus indicating their willingness to serve the country for an initial period of two years.

Reinstating the process of Local Government by way of Interim Councils was a Cabinet decision, through which it is believed that more individuals would participate in making decisions about their lives.
Speaking at the swearing ceremony was the Minister of Local Government Hon. Damian Greaves who indicated that the exercise was more than just another event. He emphasised that his Ministry's Policy was bent on true decentralization rather than deconcentration.

He however posed a strong challenge to the new councillors, presenting them with the task of making the city a better place, free of garbage and to operate with a high degree of transparency in all affairs.
Hours before the first swearing ceremony for council members of the various Town and Village Councils, an inaugural meeting of Ministry of Community Development and Local Government officials and councillors islandwide was held. The meeting which took place at the Castries City Hall provided a forum for the ministry officials to remind the councillors of the challenges that lie ahead.

In emphasising that the present government is people oriented, the challenge of re-establihshing local government must now prove that empowering people is the way forward.

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