—wants Linden council audited
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Friday called for the withdrawal of the ministerial order revoking the Kara Kara toll by-laws, while demanding an independent audit of the Linden Mayor and Town Council and an investigation into the conduct of Town Clerk Lennox Gasper.
At the party’s weekly press conference, APNU Member of Parliament and former Linden Mayor Sharma Solomon contended that Local Government Minister Priya Manickchand had no authority to unilaterally revoke the 2016 by-laws under which the municipality collected the toll.
APNU also rejected a joint statement issued following talks between the government and the council, describing it as a government-prepared document intended to blame elected councillors for deficiencies in the municipality’s financial administration.
“The document released by the Government is not a balanced joint statement,” Solomon read from an APNU statement. “It is, in substance, a government-prepared political document designed to discredit the elected representatives of the people of Linden and to provide cover for the Government’s arbitrary interference in the affairs of the Linden Town Council.”
The joint statement said that the council’s audited financial statements were significantly in arrears and that an examination would be undertaken to establish its revenue and expenditure because the municipality had been unable to provide verifiable financial information.
It also disclosed that the council had proposed reducing the toll charges by 50%, which the statement said would not adversely affect its cash flow or impose additional burdens on the private sector. The government undertook to review that proposal.
APNU on Friday argued that responsibility for the preparation and maintenance of the municipality’s financial records rested with its administrative arm, led by the Town Clerk, and not solely with the elected councillors.
It alleged that the Town Clerk had failed to carry out decisions of the council and had repeatedly walked out of statutory and committee meetings, frustrating the municipality’s work.
“The Government must stop confusing the Council with the Council Administration,” the party said.
According to APNU, the elected council had itself called for an audit and therefore could not fairly be accused of resisting financial scrutiny.
The party said it would welcome an independent and comprehensive examination of the council’s revenue, expenditure, liabilities and financial controls, as well as the responsibilities of the respective officers.
“We have nothing to fear from an audit,” the statement said. “What we reject is the Government’s attempt to prejudge the outcome of an audit and politically convict the elected Council before the facts are proven.”
APNU called for a separate investigation into the Town Clerk’s performance, including allegations that he had refused to participate properly in meetings and had failed to act on council decisions.
No power to revoke
Addressing the legal basis for Manickchand’s action, attorney and MP Dexter Todd, who also spoke at the press conference, said sections 304 and 305 of the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01, empowered the minister to approve or reject by-laws submitted by a municipality, but did not authorise her to revoke those already in force.
“The minister does not have power under the law to revoke or to suspend any type of by-laws,” Todd contended.
He argued that the authority to make the by-laws rested with the council and that any amendment should originate there before being submitted for ministerial approval.
The Linden Town Council (Toll) (Revocation) By-Laws 2026 were published as Order No. 172 in an Extraordinary Gazette dated September 1. The order, signed by Manickchand, cited sections 304 and 305 of the Act and revoked the Linden Town Council (Toll) By-Laws 2016 in their entirety.
The original by-laws had been approved by then Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan and published in the Official Gazette on August 20, 2016.
Kiskadee Watch reported that Manickchand had initially written the Town Clerk directing that the toll collection cease immediately, saying that no by-law or order authorising it had been issued and published by a minister responsible for local government.
The revocation order was published on the same day.
Solomon on Friday pointed to that sequence, saying that the minister had first denied the existence of a valid legal instrument and then moved to revoke it after the 2016 by-laws were brought to her attention.
APNU Leader Aubrey Norton said the government had used its control over the municipality’s administrative arm to stop the collection by removing the employees assigned to the toll booth.
He accused the PPP/C administration of seeking to restrict the independence of local authorities it did not control.
Solomon said that although the elected council could formulate policy and direct that the toll be collected, implementation rested with the Town Clerk, Treasurer and revenue staff.
“So when that decision was made by the Government, in line with the political appointment that he holds, he doesn’t listen to the town council, which he should,” Solomon alleged of the Town Clerk.
Revenue losses
APNU warned that the removal of the Kara Kara toll, following the abolition of the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge toll last year, would further weaken the municipality’s finances and its ability to pay employees and provide services.
The party called for a transparent assessment of the revenue historically earned from Kara Kara, the cost of maintaining the road, the consequences of eliminating the charges and whether an alternative income source would be provided.
Kiskadee Watch reported that the Kara Kara toll was previously projected to earn at least $3 million monthly. The 2016 by-laws authorised charges ranging from $2,000 to $7,000 on 18 categories of vehicles, particularly those transporting fuel, lumber and merchandise.
Revenue figures cited in 2021 showed collections declining from approximately $92 million in 2017 to $32 million in 2020.
The separate Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge toll generated approximately $6 million monthly, or more than $70 million annually, before the bridge became toll-free on August 1, 2025.
The council has argued that the loss of that income affected its ability to pay salaries and meet other obligations.
APNU on Friday questioned why the council’s proposal to cut the toll by half was not immediately accepted if, as the joint statement said, the reduction would neither affect its cash flow nor impose an additional burden on businesses.
The party called for the revocation order to be withdrawn pending a proper financial assessment and for the government to identify a replacement revenue source if it remained intent on abolishing the toll.
“This is not only about tolls. It is about local democracy,” APNU said. “The broader issue is whether the PPP/C Government respects the constitutional and statutory role of elected local government”, it added.
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