Correcting some gross mis-information

Oct 16, 2019 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

I am compelled to offer some clarity to some gross misinformation peddled as truth by the Regional Vice Chairman, Mr. Karl Singh, at a press conference hosted by the PPP, and dubbed “Parliamentary Opposition Press Conference,” held on Friday 2019-10-11, and aired by a news medium. I am so compelled since I was mentioned by both name and appointment.
At this press conference, were also the Regional Chairman, Region One and Nigel Dharamlall, among others.
Mr. Singh started his presentation by claiming that many things the Regional Chairman of Region One alluded to were also prevalent in his Region as well.
Mr. Editor, I cannot speak for Region One, but Region Nine. I am an expert here and I can represent my record without fear of contradiction.
I have been resident in the Rupununi since the 18th July, 1991, hence I have had a front seat to the pace of development in this Region through several Administrations beginning with that of the late, great His Excellency Hugh Desmond Hoyte to present.
I have had the good fortune of working with Regional Officials, true professionals, like the late Mr. Fred Allicock, as Regional Vice Chairman; and his son, now Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, The Hon. Sydney Allicock, as a Regional Councillor. Then there was Mr. Maucir Baretto, the Regional Chairman who was referred to as the Nelson Mandela of the Rupununi. He was very magnanimous as a Regional Councillor when he received none of that magnanimity by the then Administration of Bharrat Jagdeo.
The only Regional Chairman of note under the PPP was Mr. Wilson Laurentino, who reached across the aisle in the interest of true development. Needless to say that he was never trusted by the local freedom house, hence he was not considered for another term, or even for a place on the RDC as a Councillor.
The others? Well take a walk around the Region and one will hear sordid tales of their escapades and tryst behaviours.
But that is not the purpose of this letter.
Editor please permit me to list a number of points raised in the press conference that need clarification and or debunking. I will also jar memories, since the participants of this press conference were suffering from acute amnesia, or so it seems.
The assertions made by the Regional Chairman of Region one, which the Vice Chairman Region Nine supported as happening in Region Nine, while he raised issues of his own, are as follows:
1. Ministers of Government touched down in the Rupununi recently with ten aircrafts;
2. Revenues coming out of the hinterland Regions should be ploughed back into the said Regions;
3. Government has not visited the hinterland Regions since 2015;
4. RDC Statutory meetings not being kept;
5. RDC being stymied;
6. “Hand-outs” distributed to villages being reclaimed by Party members;
7. Food for the Poor donations being used for campaign purposes;
8. Civil Defence Commission was approached during PPP’s tenure to assist communities in times of emergencies, but not so under this present Administration;
9. Education is in chaos in the Region;
10. Aishalton Village Council was forced to build school furniture for the school in their village;
11. Members of the Administration being rejected by many villages;
12. The Region has only realized only 45% of its PSIP;
13. Payments to vendors of the RDC are slow and incompetent;
14. Discrimination against contractors perceived to be PPP supporters;
15. No feedback from Public Procurement Commission into investigation requested by the RVC;
16. Uneven allocation of funds among villages;
17. The school feeding programme was expanded under the PPP;
18. There was no Government-sponsored Housing programme over the last four (4) years;
19. There was no provision of water services in the Hinterland;
20. There was no expansion of the Agriculture programme in the hinterland over the last four (4) years;
Editor, the Regional Vice Chairman has walked right up my alley, in the middle of the night without a torchlight. He is delusional to think that there will be light for him to see; but I do not expect any better from a man who is so desperate that he is hoping that people out there are easily fooled. He has not remembered there is a thing called social media, a medium that is replete with the works that have been done, not only in Region 9, but across the entire country.
Consequently Editor, please allow me to respond, not necessarily in the order that the assertions were listed.
I will lead off with the recent Ministerial Outreach to Region Nine.
All of the Ministers, with the exception of those that visited the North Rupununi, touched down in Lethem with the Regular Trans Guyana passenger flights. A check with the airline will confirm this. Because of the limited space of the airstrip at Annai, the Ministers had to use smaller airplanes hence the charter to that location.
Conversely, check the period 2000 to 2015 and see how Ministers and other high-ranking government officials travelled around the country.
Both officials raised the issue of ploughing back revenues into Regions to aid development of those Regions. While an excellent idea, one needs to examine the previous administration’s record on this.
I was Assistant REO in Linden from 1999 to 2005. I am aware of the many protests that Lindeners had to engage in to get a fair share of the National Pie. Linden was virtually starved of resources even as most of the lumber resources were extracted from that Region.
I am aware that Mahdia was so neglected that even potable water was a luxury, while the roads were reduced to rubble. This was despite the fact that Region 8 was the leading contributor to the National economy in the area of gold and diamonds extraction.
By these officials logic, Regions 8 and 10 ought to be more developed than Regions 6, 3, and 2.
In relation to government not visiting hinterland regions since 2015. This assertion has exposed the very limited knowledge about government, by these officials.
Editor, even Primary School students know that government has 3 branches. The Executive branch is further divided into the Elected Officials and the Permanent Executive.
As elected officials, the Regional Chairmen and Regional Vice Chairmen are part of the elected arm of government. The constitution of Guyana further mandates that the development agenda of RDCs must be in keeping with that of Central Government’s.
Consequently, these officials’ visits to the various parts of the Regions are indeed visits by the government of Guyana. Additionally, these officials are paid out of the Consolidated Fund of the State of Guyana and are such obligated to represent the agendas of the RDCs which should be in sync with that of the Government’s.
What we have experienced, on the other hand in Region Nine, is the Regional Chairman and Vice Chairman gallivanting all over the Region in company of PPP operatives, lambasting the Government and the REO, using State resources. In this regard, I was forced to confiscate an additional vehicle that was given to the Chairman’s office by another REO, and that was used for this purpose. For this I have no apologies to make.
I am not aware, Editor, of any of my Officers being rejected by any Village of Region 9. In fact my Officers visit these villages on a regular basis for a number of reasons. This is another example of Government’s reaching-out to communities. I myself visited the South Rupununi from October the 3rd to the 7th and was well received by all Villages. I was able to interact with Councils and villagers alike and we were able to resolve many lingering issues.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I will not allow any donations to villages by government to be reclaimed by Party Officials. So that is one big fat lie which demonstrates the fact the Regional Vice Chairman is in panic mode at the prospects of his Party losing its grip on the villages that was iron clad since 1992.
What I am aware of, is the fact that a Farmers’ Group in Parikwarinau had petitioned the Regional Administration for a boat and engine to assist them to get their produce from their farms across the Sawariwau River to their village. That boat was handed over to them on the recent Ministerial Outreach. I am aware too, that the Toshao had wanted the boat to be handed over to the Village Council, a Council that has serious accountability issues.
The assertion that RDC Statutory meetings not being kept is another desperate gaff to deceive. In Region nine we have had only one Statutory Meeting for the year, and that was in January, when I had just returned to the Region from Region 8.
After that, the Regional Chairman and Vice were on their regular outing in villages campaigning as a result of the NCM, and their expectations that elections would be held before the end of the year.
In fact, many visits to their offices by me were met with their absence. The Regional Vice Chairman, Karl Singh, who is also a member of the Regional Tender Board (RTB), could not be reached for his invitations to be delivered to him. As a result, he has not attended one meeting since my assumption of duties in the Region on January 7th.
Nevertheless, Minutes of the RTB were still delivered to his office. Not expecting the level of progress in the Region without his input, the Regional Chairman penned a letter to the Public Procurement Commission, requesting an investigation into unfounded allegations of the Board, but more specifically, the Chairman of the Board.
That investigation was conducted and, like the Regional Vice Chairman, I too am awaiting the PPC’s report.
This, and other investigations of REOs has demonstrated this Government’s commitment to transparency. Editor, it may be instructive to investigate how many complaints were raised against REOs under the previous administration, and how many of these complaints were actually investigated.
Here is a case of this Administration’s superiority over the previous one.
In relation to donations from Food for the Poor (FFTP) being used for campaign purposes. That is another of the Vice Chairman’s delusion. A check with that organization will reveal that they are more than satisfied with the way their donations are distributed across communities in the Region. The FFTP requires strict accountability. As the Officer that has forged a relationship with the FFTP, I ensure that all communities, irrespective of their political preferences, benefit from those donations.
To illustrate, I have distributed donations to Aishalton, Parikwarinau, Shulinab, Karasabai, Achawib, Karudarnaua, Awarewaunau, Nappi, Parisharra, Shirriri, among others. None of the villages mentioned, supported the Coalition in the 2015 elections. The assertions cannot be substantiated.
Additionally, I have adopted the philosophy of teaching a man to fish as against giving him a fish. In this regard I was able to secure mechanical tillers which were distributed to both farmers’ groups and individual farmers; sewing machines were distributed to Women’s groups to enable them to sew school uniforms and, in the process, earn for themselves and families; farming implements and seeds were distributed to farmers’ groups, individuals and Village Councils. This was in the effort to have them provide for themselves as against them being given food all the time.
The Vice Chairman’s attempt to drag this illustrious organization into his politics deserves to be condemned by all.
That is why I resisted the urge to approach CDC for any assistance as the past administration would do at the slightest hint of any hardships. This was to forge a sense of dependency on the supplies and wean the communities off of the land, which in turn was used against them to deny their requests for land extension. On the contrary this administration is encouraging communities to stay with the land and utilize it to the fullest.
This has therefore led to the assertion that Agriculture is not being supported by this administration.
A comparison of the allocation for Agriculture under the two administrations will reveal who was really serious about agriculture. Since 2015 this administration has led communities to engage in climate-smart agriculture. In this regard more than 10 shade houses were constructed for the Secondary Schools and communities. The Regional Administration has encouraged communities to increase production since there is a ready market for their produce through the 4 dormitories and the School Feeding programme. We have constructed slaughter poles in every sub-region. This will negate the need for cattle farmers to travel all the way to Lethem to use the abattoir there
Editor, please allow me to remind the Vice what persisted before 2015. The school feeding programme was intended to spur village economies; or so we were led to believe. Instead, villagers were made to sell their produce to a party supporter, who then sold the produce to the school feeding programme. This effectively ensured that the party supporter reaped all the benefits.
Compare this to the time when Quatata, a village in central Rupununi, had a bumper crop of watermelons. They approached me to assist in getting the melons sold. I asked that the border be closed to watermelons. Most of our melons are imported from Brazil. I bought most of it, directly from the farmers, for the 4 dormitories; some were bought for the hospitals’ in-patients. This left the village with a small amount of melons which were sold to individuals and the hotel industry in Lethem. The villagers were very satisfied.
These are the stories that the Vice Chairman and his cronies are afraid of.
The assertion that this government has not extended the ‘good life’ to Rupununians can be easily debunked.
Please permit me to illustrate the amount of monies that were spent by the RDC alone: I will use 2015 to 2018 figures since 2019 is not completed.
St Ignatius Village $103,666,613; Lethem $260,173,601; Moco Moco $9,283,580;
Rupertee $4,453,580; Surama $9,966,430; Toka $7,463,980; Sawariwau $1,475,300; Maruranau $9,760,145; Tiger Pond $16,124,549; Hiowa $14,600,000; Parisharra $13,500,000; Nappi $18,454,190; Quarrie $14,410,680
Annai $87,695,302; Wowetta $3,932,600; Rewa $5,276,740; Aishalton $121,901,485; Karudarnaua $14,374,240; Shulinab $42,037,264; Kaicumbay $13,800,000; Yupukari $9,668,586; Kwatamang $8,498,000; Aranaputa $56,496,379; Katoonarib $12,475,200; Achawib $27,679,683; Karasabai $14,364,663; Sand Creek $48,643,788 – TOTAL $950,176,582
Maybe it will be instructive to see the allocations to this Region in any four year term under the previous administration. These figures represent the Capital expenditure only. Much more would have been spent under the Recurrent Budget.
Additionally, there has been several interventions by other Central Government Ministries across the Region, inclusive of, but not limited to, The Ministry of Social Protection, The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, The Ministry of Natural Resources, The Ministry of Public Infrastructure, The Ministry of The Presidency etc. The total funds spent in this Region would amount to billions of dollars.
Editor please allow me to inform your readership that the School Feeding programme was more than tripled in the 4 years since 2015. To illustrate:
In 2014 the school feeding programme saw 21 schools benefiting from a sum of $117,660,016;
In 2015 the number of schools did not change but the sum was $121,120,842;
In 2016, 35 schools benefited from $129,533,979;
In 2017 the number of schools climbed to 52 with an allocation of $198,485,144;
While in 2018 the amount of schools reached 64 with a total allocation of $255,195,264.
This has debunked the Vice Chairman’s assertion that the PPP had expanded the programme.
Of importance to note is that the middleman has been eliminated and villagers are benefitting directly from purchases of much needed ingredients. We are not there as yet, but with time we are aiming of having the villages supply all the needs for the programme. The process has started.
Editor, instead of attempting to cast aspersion on this government, the Vice Chairman should be in eternal gratitude to The Honourable Ronald Bulkan, who prevented me from calling in the Police to recover Remote Area Incentive monies of teachers of Rewa. Monies that were entrusted to the Regional Vice Chairman and who converted those monies to his own use. The monies were eventually replaced.
The record of this administration, both local and central, is unmatched and cannot be refuted. A visit to the Rupununi will reveal a spring in the step of residents. We have not reached everyone, but we will get there. I am not even saying that we did everything right, but in 4 years we have achieved a lot; and this has the Regional Chairman, the Vice Chair and their Party running scared. The writing is on the wall for them. I hope they can interpret it.

Yours truly,
Carl Parker
Regional Executive Officer

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