Help us to help your communities develop and become more secure
— Min. Ramjattan meets with Number 63 Village residents
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, April 17, 2019
As part of it’s ‘taking government to the people’ exercise, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan met with residents of Number 63 Village, East Berbice-Corentyne. At the Tagore Memorial Secondary School, the minister explained the government’s plans for the sugar industry which include efforts to return it to a state of profitability.
He also reminded the gathering of the decrease in serious crimes, noting that piracy for example, which was prevalent under the previous administration, has become almost non-existent. Efforts to address the prevalence of drug use and smuggling were also cited by the minister who reiterated a call for residents to get more involved with law enforcement efforts. He urged residents to join or have their families join the police force instead of looking to outsiders to fill these roles.
“Some feel they can ‘kick paddy a road’ and make more money, but we want the police to come and save when we’re in trouble… Sometimes, we are the cause of our own dilemma.”
The minister noted in reference to the prevalence of mostly rice farming in the region versus seeking other means of employment. The minister vowed that ranks will get better salaries as more resources become available.
“Educate yourselves and families to reduce the incidences of interpersonal and domestic violence… We have got to go back to the Churches, Temples and Mosques. We must learn discipline, pay our taxes, be civil to our communities and our country.”
Minister Ramjattan added that all must work together to develop and secure their communities.
An interactive session saw residents highlighting issues affecting their communities. These included calls for aerial spraying to combat paddy bug infestations, the formation of cattle farmers associations, the reformatting of the Water Users Association, more training to build the capacity of the Community Policing Groups (CPGs) and alleged misconduct by some police ranks stationed within nearby communities.
The requests and complaints were all recorded and contact information taken by staffers of the ministry for urgent follow-ups and intervention. Issues such as the paddy bug infestation will be raised with the relevant ministry and agencies.
Minister Ramjattan described the meeting as fruitful with all stakeholders being very respectful and eager to participate in the government’s efforts to improve their lives within their communities. Residents were also lauded for their efforts to adopt the use of solar power and urged to continue efforts to use sustainable energy.
Paul Mc Adam.
Images: Kawsie Wishart.