Where are the funds garnered from the Rose Hall Town Week celebrations?

Oct 11, 2008 Letters

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Dear Editor,
On Monday 2008-09-22 I was summoned by my 16-year-old son who shouted ‘Dad, come quickly something about our Town is on NCN 6 O’clock News’. As quickly as I could, I hurried in front of the TV set to only watch in anger and shame as the news reporter informed the nation of the action of some residents of collecting money for other residents to visit the Rose Hall Town Beach.
The story on NCN was brilliant and showcased something that all of us in the Town were upset about but did nothing. Over the years, Mr. Editor, an organisation which is unknown to most residents has been using the Rose Hall Town Beach to raise funds for personal use. The newscast’s story stated that the event at the beach was not part of the Town Week’s celebration but that was incorrect as the following would show:-
Rose Hall on the 20th of September celebrated 38 years as a Town and the Interim Management Committee formed a Town Week Committee headed by its Chairman, Mr. B. Somrah, and including only two organisations, the RHT Anniversary Committee and the Corentyne All Star Football Club.
Residents of the Town are informed via the Kaieteur News Berbice Roundup and TV news that these two organisations would organise events with all profits going to them. The person giving the interview was the IMC Chairman himself.
The official Town Council minutes of a special Town Day meeting on 2008-09­-27 lists the Official Town Week activities for Saturday 2008-09-20 and Sunday 2008-09-21 as Saturday, Main Lime and Exhibition from 12:00 noon to 8:00 pm and a Wash Down Bubble Session from 8:00 pm to 12:00 midnight at the Area ‘H’ ground.
On Sunday a Family Fun Day was listed from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm.
All three of these events were to be organised by the Anniversary Committee.
Television advertisements then went on the air on NCN CH15 (Berbice) and LRTVS, while dozens of posters were placed throughout the Town. The posters had at the top the name of both the Anniversary Committee and Town Council as the organisers of a Family Fun Day with numerous fun competitions.
It was therefore a great shock to hear that the Fun Day was not part of the Town Week and that a well known hotel owner was described as the promoter. The Interim Management Committee of Rose Hall Town owes the residents of the Town a detailed explanation on its role in the 2008 Week of activities for the 38th anniversary. Among the questions to be answered are:-
Do the RHT Anniversary Committee and the Corentyne All star Football teams really exist? If they do, can we be informed of their membership, executives, meeting day and venues and, most importantly, their achievements over the years?
What would the funds raised from the Town Day be used for? Would it be used for developmental projects to benefit the Town or would it be used for unknown reasons. Why did our Town Town’s Day celebration be allowed to become a bubble session with four beverage companies having bars selling alcohol to youths and at least five music sets in a space of about 300 yards? Did the organisers know that right next door, a respected business family was mourning the loss of the head of their household and the wake house was badly disturbed by the five music sets from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Is this the way we show respect to people who in their lifetime worked beyond the call of duty to develop our Town?
Why was there no booth to showcase our Town’s rich heritage and history in 2008 when in 2007 there were over 60 booths in the best ever Town Day event that was organised by the former IMC Chairman?
Why another promoter was at the beach for the Fun Day when the Council’s minutes and the posters clearly stated that the Anniversary Committee was the organizers? Was there sub-letting of the Fun Day and at what cost?
Why was the Town Council staff used to clean up after the Town and Wash Down Event when all funds would not be going to the Council?
The Guyana Drainage and Irrigation Crew, members of which are paid by the Guyana Government to clean drains and canals, was used by the Town Council to clean up the Arch Road Square after the Town Day bubble sessions, when clearly that is not one of their list of activities.
This Council is well known for being cash strapped, yet on Thursday 2008-09-­18 the Council used funds to make the RHT Beach Road more accessible by filling it up with red sand using Council’s staff and equipment.
How the Town Council could grant permission for public individuals and organisations to collect funds at the Rose Hall Beach when residents on the weekends use it for relaxation and family visits? I had to pay $500.00 for myself, my wife and three kids on 2008-08-21. Didn’t the President of Guyana say that no one should pay to visit our country’s beaches or does the RHT-IMC has the power to overrule higher authority?
Finally, Mr. Editor, most residents of the Town are quite concerned over the Council’s decision to include only the two organisations in its planning when three of Guyana’s finest NGO’s are based right here: the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, the Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, and the St. Francis Community Developers.
Over the last five years our Town anniversary celebrations have been abused for personal gains and the time has come for the Office of the President, the Ministry of Local Government and the Region 6, RDC to investigate why every year these non-existing groups have been granted permission without even paying royalty to the Council.
They should also investigate why all of the promises made over the years to do the following projects with Town Day funds have not seen the light of day: community library, community gym, fencing of kiddies corner, evening classes, feeding of the poor programmes, benabs for the beach, repairs to the beach road, water supply for the beach, among others.
A simple check up of the newspapers in September each year would give more of the promises.
Thanks NCN 6 O’clock News for finally letting the country know what is going on in Rose Hall Town.
Hilbert Foster

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