Kingston mayor irked by continued delay in holding of ALGA-J annual general meeting

Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby is accusing current chairman of the Association of Local Government Authorities of Jamaica (ALGA-J), Winston Maragh, of "stifling democracy" within the organisation by delaying the holding of an annual general meeting (AGM) of the body.

A highly-anticipated AGM at the Golf View Hotel in Manchester in January ended in chaos after a dispute over the meeting's agenda escalated into a physical confrontation. Maragh was injured during the incident.

At the time Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie condemned the incident and said he would meet with the association.

With a new meeting yet to be held, Swaby is suggesting the chairman is deliberately delaying the holding of the AGM and the election to select the new head of the body.

"He had indicated that he is not running back as chairman. I don't know why he is holding on to power and why the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) mayors are holding on to power. I don't have a difficulty if an election is called and whosoever win, let them win. But it can't be a situation where you are stifling democracy of the body. It can't be," Swaby says.

He says at a meeting last week, the mayor sidestepped discussions surrounding the setting of a date for a new meeting.

Swaby posits that the JLP mayors are reluctant to have an election because "the fact that there is a pending general election they will see it...as a defeat if their candidate don't win."

Swaby also notes that their are other important issues which need to be discussed at the AGM.

The last official meeting of the body was held in 2017.

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