APNU+AFC engaging in ‘traditional misinformation campaign’ in Region 10 -Minister Edghill

-Region 10 is being modernised, transformed under PPP/C Gov’t

-Legal transferral of NICIL lands now allows CH&PA to regularise lands there  

Minister of Public Works, Hon. Bishop Juan Edghill has rejected the claims by the opposition APNU+AFC that the PPP/C Administration has discriminated against and stifled residents of Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region Ten).

The Minister was speaking today on the NCN programme ‘The Transformation Revolution-Region 10’. He described the Opposition’s most recent attempt at distortion as part of the “traditional PNC misinformation campaign.”

Minister Edghill said the Region’s administration and municipality, historically, has been governed by the APNU/AFC and the records would show that only between 60-67 per cent of the money from the National Budget appropriated to the regional administration is actually spent.  

“You can imagine, central Government by way of Parliament is appropriating monies for Region 10, the administration is predominantly PNC, APNU/AFC, it is their region, they gain lots of political support and the monies are not being spent and it is being sent back to the treasury and even what is being spent, is being misspent,” Minister Edghill said.

The Minister noted that only a few weeks ago, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali led an outreach to the Region, where he interacted with and addressed the concerns of various groups: youth, medical professionals, women, religious groups, the private sector and ordinary citizens.

Follow up visits were also made by several Ministers of Government.

Further, Minister Edghill said the PPP/C Administration is for all Guyanese regardless of ethnicity, religion or geography. The Minister reminded the Opposition that Region 10 does not only consist of Linden, but encompasses several communities, which Government Ministers have been visiting over the past months since entering office.

In just a few months under the PPP/C Government, the Minister said, citizens of that Region have accessed many Government services, which were not readily available under the previous administration.

Residents of that Region, he said, have received their land titles, the $25,000 per household COVID-19 relief cash grant, COVID-19 relief fund, the $15,000 school uniform voucher and much more. Chief among the developments in the Region is President Ali’s announcement that his Government would be building 1,000 homes there.

“From people struggling to get a piece of land and squatting taking place at the back of Phase Three Amelia’s Ward, former Minister Annette Ferguson going up there to bully people who were basically saying “all we want is to get a house lot” and because they [APNU+AFC] were not delivering house lots people were forced to squat,” Minister Edghill said.  

The Minister disclosed that just today, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC, following up on the instructions of President Ali, met a team for the legal transferral of National Industrial Commercial and Investments Limited (NICIL) lands to the Region.

The transferral would allow the Central Housing and Planning Authority to regularise land in the Region.

“Residents of Region Ten are becoming real owners of land because the legal hurdles and encumbrances have been addressed under the instructions of His Excellency the President, through the Attorney General to facilitate that,” the Minister added.

This, he noted, is part of the modernisation and transformation that is taking place in the Region under the PPP/C Government.

Minister Edghill added that he recently visited River’s View, which is also part of Region Ten and to date, the Regional Chairman has not visited the area.

“Look at how the PPP/C does development as compared to the APNU+AFC. The President went to Linden with his team, the Prime Minister accompanied by the Minister of Labour and one of our parliamentarians visited Kwakwani, Ituni, Hururu, Aroaima, Jeep Landing … the APNU+AFC went to Kwakwani and Ituni, those other areas don’t count.”

The Minister reiterated the PPP/C Administration’s commitment to the people of Region Ten and all Guyanese, as it pushes its transformational agenda, which will see development in all sectors and the economy as a whole, even as the nation battles the COVID-19 pandemic.