Region Nine residents applaud Gov’t’s mobile services initiative

Residents of St. Ignatius, Kumu, Quarrie, and other neighboring villages expressed immense gratitude for the government’s mobile services initiative. This initiative, conceived by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, was executed by the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs.

A team from the ministry, along with the Deeds and Commercial Services Registries Authority, Restorative Justice Centre, and other essential agencies, conducted a three-day outreach in the region, beginning in Lethem on Friday.

The services were met with overwhelming appreciation from the residents, many of whom had struggled for years to obtain necessary documents due to the challenges of traveling to Georgetown or Essequibo.

The mobile outreach on Saturday, provided efficient, cost-effective, and hassle-free access to government services. With the establishment of a permanent office in Lethem, residents will now have year-round access to these essential services.

Fifty-six-year-old Benita Ignatius from Quarrie, a newly established poultry business owner, expressed her satisfaction with the ease of registering her enterprise. “I got through really fast,” she said. “I filled up the forms and paid off one time. I’m glad we’re getting an office in Lethem so when it’s time to get the renewal, I can do it. They are really helping me out here,”

Tafline Singh from Tabatinga echoed these sentiments, stating, “This has never happened before. I feel so good that a team could come and give us our service so we don’t have to go to Georgetown. With the new office, it’ll serve the people in the region, so we won’t have to travel so far.”

For Nicole Ambros, the initiative is extremely time and cost effective.

“It was very efficient. I got through as soon as I came. The staff were very informative. Normally we have to travel to Georgetown to look at things like the deed poll, so instead of spending all the money on transportation, it’s really good that they brought it here, so less cost for us.”

James La Rose has been trying for years to acquire a birth certificate for his younger brother, but to no avail.

“Today was a great opportunity for me. I have been trying to do this for a long time and today, finally…We have never had this opportunity. If they hadn’t come, it would’ve taken longer,” La Rose told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

When asked for his views on the establishment of a permanent office, La Rose said he is relieved because this is a much-needed initiative.

“Like the passport office…we now have a passport office, [and] we can now get our other documents quite easily. So, I think that is a great step forward for our region.”

Another resident, Marva Houseworth, expressed gratitude for the initiative, stating, “I heard an office will be opened up here, and this is great because at least we won’t have to wait so long for our papers to come through.”

Linda Fredericks, a senior counselor from Kumu Village, sought to acquire birth certificates for several residents from her village. “This is the first time I’m seeing things like this happening,” she said. “It is a good idea for them to get an office, because the Rupununi will benefit a lot.”

Junie Ann Francisco said, “Today, I got my deed poll, and all I have to do now is go to GECOM…some people applied for birth certificates and it would take years, so this programme is great. It is definitely faster.”

Regional Chairman, Bryan Allicock, affirmed that this initiative is yet another facet of the government’s comprehensive plan to bridge the gap between the coast and the hinterland.

“This is one way of reaching out to the people. Eventually we will have two personnel here in the region doing this on a daily basis. So, you won’t have to travel to Georgetown,” he told residents.

Registrar of the Deeds Registry, Azeena Baksh, explained that this is the first time residents in Region Nine have been able to access same-day registration for any form of document.

“I know the process would have been lengthy if we were not here,” she noted.

On Sunday, the team will be in Nappi Village offering these services. Similar outreaches were recently held in Region One.