Alphonsush Marak, the Congress MDC for Williamnagar, has questioned the rationale of the present executive committee in appointing a chief advisor to the Chief Executive Member, calling the move undemocratic and against parliamentary norms.
“It is a direct attack on and deprivation of privilege of elected members of GHADC. It is also a breach of privilege of the elected members of the house. The incumbents to the said posts have been appointed without any consultation with or voting by the elected members,” he alleged.
He added that the primary role of parliament was deliberation and discussion, the two hallmarks of a democratic institution, and anything done without discussion with the elected members of the house lacks democratic sense.
“The appointees are unelected, total outsiders without any administrative experience. It is questionable if the exercise is due to ignorance or done deliberately with ulterior motives. It is also a strange deviation from well-established parliamentary practice and arbitrary,” said Marak in a release yesterday.
He felt the present action of the EC in appointment of the outsiders was a deliberate compromise on security and stability of the system.
“While the employees of the GHADC have been deprived of their salaries for more than three years due to financial irregularities, these appointments will create an economic burden and will exert a significant constraint on the financial status of the Council. The Executive Committee led by NPP is appointing these officials at a time when the Council is in dire financial state,” said Marak while adding that the move set a bad precedent.
