‘Better still will come’ – Min. Ramjattan assures Byderabo residents
‘Judge us by our works’ – Min. Scott
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, June 19, 2019
“Much more in store” was the pledge when Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan and Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection with responsibility for Labour, Keith Scott held an interactive session with Region 7 residents at a community meeting at the Byderabo Multi-Purpose Center, on the morning of June 19.
First up was Minister Keith Scott, who noted residents have come a long way and reminded that a new political culture began following the 2015 elections which showed that “real power resides in the people.” The minister added, “The government must always serve the people and the Coalition Government has been doing this.” He noted that many of the projects in the community have been formulated after consultations with the people who actually determined what their needs were, “We have listened to you and we will always do so.”
Minister Scott highlighting the progress made in terms of infrastructural development, urged the residents that with their votes, the Coalition will be returned to office, come the next election. “Judge us by our works…. And our works speak for themselves…You know we can do what we say…we have shown in the past what we can do. There are better things coming,” he pledged.
Minister Ramjattan, in his unique style, noted the difficulty in satisfying everyone due to limited resources. The need to prioritize national issues such as saving the sugar industry hindered the delivery of much more localized services, he explained. Difficult decisions had to be made, in order to benefit other sectors, “Many of these were the right decisions that had to be made or the economy would go bankrupt.”
Despite these challenges, he noted that the government has managed to spread resources “all around.” Mention was also made of the lights, roadways and river revetments constructed in the community under the Coalition Government, and the other projects benefitting Region 7 at large, such as the purchase of a CATS Scan machine which will be installed at the nearby Bartica Hospital.
Admitting that “wants and needs will always be issues”, the minister pointed out that unlike the PPP Government, the Coalition has prudently managed the economy. “The economy’s growth, as lauded by the IMF recently, clearly indicated that the government was capable of managing the economy for the benefit of all citizens,” he stated.
He urged the residents to “trust our leadership” to prudently manage the upcoming oil resource, to ensure the continuation of good governance and economic growth.”
“We are going to get the resources for you… we will continue to ensure a good economy and good governance and we will ensure the good life…but to ensure we get to this good life, we must win this election…trust us with our vote…trust our leadership and better still will come, better yet will come,” the Minister pledged.
Suggestions included a recommendation that families benefit from a direct cash transfer from oil revenue, free education from nursery to university, reconstituting the community’s nursery school, ICT Hub internet access, grants for single mothers who must ensure their offspring attend school and self-help groups, stray animals, better drainage and roads. All of the issues raised were noted and the details recorded for action by the relevant ministries and agencies.
Also in attendance was Director of Compliance of the Ministry of Natural Resources Dereck Lawrence and Head of the Stray Catching Unit, Seivewright Benjamin. The former indicated that his ministry has launched a corps of wardens and one will be stationed in the community to ensure many of the issues are addressed, forthwith.
Images: Gajuan Jordan