These Ministers only dealt with minor issues

May 28, 2013 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
The recent visit by the two Ministers of Local Government to Sub-Region 2 of Region #8 was appreciated. However, in my opinion it was not much benefit to the residents, if at all any. They may have achieved their objectives, but the issues affecting the residents remain the same.
I learnt that the Junior Minister (Norman Whittaker) visited Princeville, Tumatumari and Micobie, and had meetings with the residents there. The Senior Minister Ganga Persaud held meetings with the residents of Mahdia and Campbelltown.
The RDC (Regional Chairman and Councillors) was not informed or invited to these meetings. The Regional Chairman received a letter one day before the team arrived, inviting him to the opening of the Princeville Health Post and another letter informing him that Minister Persaud would be meeting with the Regional Chairman and Councillors in the boardroom.
I learnt of Minister Whittaker’s meetings to these areas through GINA’s May 16 2013 release and Minister Persaud’s meetings on the road, the evening before the meeting.
This is just another instance of the disrespect that is shown to the Regional Chairman and Council of Region #8 by this Government. I did not get to attend the opening of the Princeville Health Post, because it was raining and no enclosed transportation was made available to take me there. I attended the meeting at Mahdia, however, I refused to sit at the head table with the Minister because I saw it as being very disrespectful to the RDC for not informing them of the meeting  or inviting them to the meeting in the Region.
But back to the ministers’ visits. While it is important to listen to all the problems affecting the residents, it was rather unfortunate that so much of taxpayers’ money was spent for that outreach to only deal with small issues affecting the residents here.
Here are some of the issues I would have expected them to address:
1.  The Bartica /Potaro Road: this road from Bartica to Mahdia that has been abandoned for years now. This road is of great benefit to the residents of this sub-Region.
2. Setting up a Landfill Site in Mahdia: over a year ago Minister Whittaker ordered the present dump to be closed, and rightfully so, since the present dumpsite is approximately 300 ft from the Mahdia Airstrip. It is also very close to the housing scheme and residents. Minister Whittaker had promised me that by December 2012 the landfill site would be set up in Mahdia. Since we are five months past that deadline, I would have expected him meeting with the RDC to discuss the issue.
3. I would have expected them to tell the residents in Mahdia when the inner roads in Mahdia would be asphalted and also when the Ministry of Public Works would be repairing the Tiger Creek bridge.
4. I would have expected them to tell the residents of the Government’s long term plan to solve the electricity problems in that Sub-Region. We would have liked to know whether Government will be assisting the developers of the Tumatumari Hydro, since not only can that Hydro supply all of those areas with electricity, it is also the only long term solution to the electricity problem there.
5. I was expecting them to tell the residents of Campbelltown and Mahdia what assistance the Ministry of Local Government would be giving to alleviate the water woes there. At present only a few homes can access water from the Salbura Water System.
Since Government is collecting from this Region, I believe that a percentage should be set aside every year and given back to the Region for developmental works in the Region. Had that been the case, we would have been able to access moneys to refurbish the Tumatumari Hydro and many other things, like a Technical Institute. We need a Technical Institute in Region 8.
A Technical Institute would cost approximately $1 million US to set up. Had we had that system in place we could have built a Technical Institute.
I would just like to advise the two learned Ministers that in future when they are visiting the Region, they should better spend their time dealing with major issues affecting the residents in the Region. They were actually majoring on minor issues.
As I said earlier, the ministers may have achieved their objectives. My humble opinion is that their real mission was to criticize the opposition. I learned that they were going around telling the residents that the opposition cut the budget and that will cause great suffering. They are trying to blame the opposition for their shortcomings.
However, the residents in Region 8 trust the judgment of the 33 combined opposition Members of Parliament, who they know are very responsible and thoughtful.
Mark Crawford
Regional Chairman
Region #8

 

 

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