Anxiety about the LGE in Bartica

Mar 12, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
With seven days left to the holding of the long awaited Local Government Elections, which was denied to Guyanese by their leaders for the past twenty two years, GECOM is ready to go” full throttle”, Five Hundred observers on standby, political parties and independent groups on the battle field of campaign, who will be the real beneficiaries of this election? It supposed to be the people but thus far it doesn’t look so.
How will the new communities that were declared for township status, namely, Barticain Region 7; Lethem in Region 9 and Mabaruma in Region 1 which was built on mining and largely depend on mining still, especially Bartica cope? Bartica is a thriving business hub with a population of approximately 15,000, commerce will increase. Are we, the residents of Bartica, being robbed or denied an opportunity of being consulted by the Ministry of Communities. To the best of my knowledge, there has been no public consultation and there remains none to date with the two most important ministries, namely, Public Infrastructure and Communities. Bartica was built on mining and still depends on mining.
The contesting parties and groups, in Bartica, have thus far, not rolled out or we are not hearing about an economic rescue or recovery plans to boost the economy of Bartica? Where are the economic plans of those seeking to be elected? Bartica is the gate way to the interior, with the potential of becoming, city number 2, in Guyana.
The battle is on in Bartica for LGE, but sadly, character assassination seems to be the focus and priority of contestants, rather than seeking to revive the economy of Bartica which remains in a coma after the falling gold price. There is no talk or plans of manufacturing centres or industries coming to Bartica to create employment, transforming one of two secondary schools into a sixth form secondary. When the price for gold sneezes, communities like Bartica, Maburama and Lethem which depends on mining, catch the cold. There is no talk or plans of diversifying or moving away from mining as a traditional means of income earner in Bartica.
Sherwyn Delano Downer
Bartica Resident

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