Essequibo, govt is in your neighbourhood!
— ‘Govt comes to you” outreach underway at Damon Square, Anna Regina
― residents encouraged to take advantage of govt services offered
By Anara Khan
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Ministers and officials of the government have left their offices for the 8th time. Today, they have travelled approximately 40 miles from Georgetown to be in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region. With booths set up at Damon’s Square, Anna Regina, the government is in Region 2 offering it services, with hopes of addressing residents’ issues and concerns, to find solutions.
The approximately three-hour-long journey from Georgetown to Parika to Supenaam and finally to Anna Regina began at approximately 04:00hrs for many.
Today, the government’s message to the people at Damon Square is one of care and working towards ensuring all its people enjoy the good life. This was emphasised by Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, during her opening remarks.
There are more than a dozen agencies present. Essequibians have already flocked various agencies, and have met with several ministers currently on the ground.
Some of the representing agencies and ministries include the Ministries of Natural Resources, Social Protection, Public Infrastructure, Public Health, Business, Agriculture and Communities, the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport, Department of Citizenship, the National Insurance Scheme, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) among many others.
The outreach kicked into high gear from 10:00hrs and will run until 14:00hrs, after which there will be 12 community meetings starting at 17:00hrs.
Residents assembled from very early this morning, some are here to address housing matters, some seeking employment, just to name a few. Regional Executive Officer, Dennis Jaikaran Snr., in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) earlier today, stated that from the mobilisation for the event, it was evident that the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) would be at the forefront of today’s outreach.
Thus far, the government has hosted seven successful outreaches across the country; the most recent took place in Linden, Region 10. Over in Region 3 at the National Track and Field Centre in Edinburgh, hundreds turned out on April 28 and had their issues addressed on the spot.
Other regions that have benefitted from the government’s outreach include Regions 4, 5 and 6.
In Region 4, thousands of residents turned up at the Square of the Revolution in Georgetown on March 27. Many of them raised land-related issues which resulted in the CH&PA extending their outreach the following day.
On April 25, the outreach was taken to Region 5 (Mahaica-Berbice) in the compound of the Regional Democratic Council, Fort Wellington. By the day’s end, scores of patrons left satisfied, having their issues resolved. Many who had applied for house lots for more than a decade ago, left with allocation letters.
The outreach continued later that the afternoon as ministers and their teams fanned out to various communities to have up close and personal contact with residents.
The Coalition Government says this is part of its many efforts to ensure that it meets with the people at the grassroots level, interacting with them directly to ensure the promise of the ‘good life’ for all is fulfilled.
Images: Keno George