Residents of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) have expressed frustration over failed promises by the coalition Government with regards to employment for persons residing on the Essequibo Coast.
The residents related that the unemployment rate in the region is very high and this was one of the major issues that were raised with the Government during its recent outreach in the region.
They are contending that they are being misled by Government officials into believing that they will be hired by Government agencies. They were reportedly asked to submit applications but when they call to check on the status of same, there is no record of it being handed in.
The frustrated residents expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which they are being treated by the Administration.
They believe that Government outreaches are a “sham” which seeks to fool members of the public in an effort to buy votes for the upcoming elections.
One of the residents who spoke to this newspaper said that his daughter applied for a job at a Government agency and when she called to follow up on the application weeks after, she was told that there is no record of her application.
“My daughter applied at a popular Government agency for a job and they promise us that they will call and so on for interview, but nothing. I know if you’re not qualified they won’t hire you I understand that but the worrisome part is that when we called, there is no record of any application for her or anybody else that applied from here, this led me to believe they are fooling people and maybe they throwing away these applications soon as they leave here. They feel people stupid,” he argued.
Furthermore, over the weekend, workers from the National Data Management Unit were in the region, this time, accepting applications for employment with that agency. This action has prompted residents to believe that the Government is “putting on a show”.
“This Government is all about a show. They eye pass people. They wasting taxpayers’ money having these people coming here for days doing nothing. Just coming here trying to fool people here. They ain’t got one vote to get from over here…watch and see. We already figure them out,” Jai told this publication.
The Cabinet was greeted by hundreds of disgruntled citizens who lined the streets of Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, during its outreach to the region.
Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt was also on the protest line after the Regional Executive Officer (REO) reportedly denied him a fuel allowance to attend the activity.
The majority of the residents questioned the timing of the outreach, pointing out that after four years in office, this is the first time such a large ministerial delegation has visited the region to offer support.
They believe Government is merely campaigning, in light of the No-confidence Motion against it and the likelihood of early elections. One rice farmer said rice is the breadbasket of the region and although many calls were made for Government to intervene to save the industry from collapsing, nothing has been done.
Also at the protest were over 30 trench cleaners who were not paid for over three months. Similar to the other outreaches so far, residents flocked the booths dealing with housing issues also.
Scores of persons said they left the outreach very disappointed since their housing issues could not have been fully dealt with despite waiting long hours to have their issues addressed.
This led some persons to question why the Government is inviting persons to the Cabinet outreaches when they cannot address their issues.
