Latest update November 8th, 2024 1:00 AM
Jan 15, 2017 News
The Ministry of Communities, on Friday, held its first ever Senior Staff Conference under the theme: “Improving Management for reliable community services in pursuit of the Green Economy.”
The Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, delivered a presentation where he stressed the importance of the new feature to the Ministry’s yearly activities.
Bulkan said that the conference aims to garner the ideas of all participants to enable the Ministry to be more effective and efficient as it carries out its mandate.
The Ministry of Communities is a “new” Ministry which encompasses the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the Ministry of Housing and Water, he said. Regarding the rationale for its creation and particular composition, he narrowed it down to a unit which provides better delivery of Governmental Services to people, including a reliable supply of potable water and housing.
Foremost, the Ministry’s responsibility is to improve the conditions under which people live – that is, the conditions in their communities.
“I speak here about the management of our communities whether they be towns or villages. Proper management will see to it that our communities are safe, secure and sanitary; that they be liveable and wholesome.
“It includes as well, a responsibility for economic vitality that our communities and villages are not seen as dormitories – where people sleep and leave with the rising sun to make an earning elsewhere (but rather), foster and support local economic activities.”
Herculean task
Bulkan said that for too long in Guyana’s history, the Local Government System was not allowed to function within the parameters of the law.
“By the time this administration came into office, in May 2015, the system was so badly damaged and degraded that it was largely dysfunctional.”
“We cannot bring about positive changes in our communities unless this system functions. This is our principal task to repair and rehabilitate the broken Local Government System that we have inherited.”
Whilst the Ministry has started this task, the Minister said that it is a herculean task which would require inputs from all stakeholders.
Bulkan also spoke about the need to have a change of perceptions and attitudes citing also, the need to have institutional strengthening and capacity building which will have to take place at the level of each Local Government Council.
“The single most important change has happened, which is the philosophy of Central Government and the strategic direction that this administration is committed to; which is one that respects the legal authority of Local Government Organs in allowing them to function with the independence they enjoy under the Constitution.”
Bulkan said that he recalls the “perennial cries and lament” from the former Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green.
“He complained that his hands were tied and that the Council was not allowed to exercise the statutory and lawful authority to manage and develop the local government area that they had responsibility for.”
‘Performance of the Ministry
With regards to the Ministry’s performance over the last year, Bulkan said that in his book, it was a “mixed” one while stating, “We need to do better.”
“The Minister of Finance in his 2017 Budget Speech spoke about institutional lethargy and ineptitude and the sluggishness of the implementation of the PSIP (Public Sector Investment Programme) of poor inter-agency coordination and cooperation and the deficit of strategic planning and management,” Bulkan said whilst pointing out that his Ministry was not immune from the above.
“(But) we have however, began in 2016 and continuing this year, to take proactive steps to address this situation. Already in 2017, the Ministry has held an action roundtable for regional development.
“This activity brought together all of the Regional Executive Officers, Deputy Regional Executive Officers and Regional Engineers (and) was designed to build regional leadership; enhance coordination and understanding amongst regional managers of national policies and programmes; and promote an expanded and improved regional procurement system.”
Bulkan said that focus is being placed on ensuring that all Ministry-planned activities are coordinated in such a way that ideas are shared from all levels of the organisational chart whilst also ensuring that they are implemented within the shortest space of time possible.
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