Govt engages citizens in “Open Day” event led by VP Jagdeo

– public lauds initiative aimed at addressing concerns

The Government of Guyana on Monday held its ‘Open Day’, an initiative spearheaded by Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo that allowed members of the public with various concerns to meet with government ministers.
The initiative to meet members of the public was hosted by the Vice President at the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC). Several government ministers were also present including Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, who spoke of some of the logging and mining issues raised by citizens.
“This was a public day called by the Vice President. And you can see the response is massive. We have Guyanese coming from Berbice, Essequibo, Linden, Georgetown, East Coast, and East Bank, from all around the country, about issues that are affecting them. So, the idea behind this outreach was to deal with these small issues that are affecting people on a daily basis.”

“We have the Ministers of Housing, dealing with housing issues. Myself dealing with logging and mining issues. Some of the issues are basically permission to set up shops in the interior. Another issue is permission to operate a sawmill on the highway. However, the only way we can issue a permit for a sawmill or a shop is once there’s no objection from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission,” Minister Bharrat also said.
In addition, Minister of Housing and Water Colin Croal, also provided an update on the issues that were addressed in his sector. He revealed that even billing concerns with Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), which falls under his Ministry’s purview, were raised. Additionally, concerns related to water quality were also discussed.

“We’re responsible for both housing and water. So, of course, you’ll recognise whenever there’s an outreach or a public engagement, anything related to housing will have several persons. Some of the issues you have would be persons who repeatedly tried to get their own way. Persons on a reserve.”
“They’re told clearly, that they can’t be regularised. But you still have to engage them and keep trying to find a way out to let them know they have to apply elsewhere. Some of them are outstanding issues, such as ownership of older lands. And of course, routine follow-ups like pending applications, somebody wants additional time to pay for their land,” Minister Croal said.

Also in attendance was Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, complete with a help desk of technical officers from his Ministry.
For her part, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sonia Parag explained that most of the issues raised for her sector had to do with Neighborhood Democratic Councils and waste disposal.
Several participants from the public who attended the open day left satisfied that their concerns would be addressed. Delroy Williams, an Imam from the Sophia Masjid, lauded the initiative and the opportunity it presented to meet policymakers directly. Similarly, Brenda Edwards, a Small Business Owner and miner from Region One also expressed her satisfaction.

“Desilting, (cleaning of) the trenches in Sophia. I’m also the Imam and religious leader in Sophia. So, I was engaging with them. And they gave me a very positive reply that they will get it done. I’m very pleased with what is going on here and they can continue more often. It’s very commendable, and we have to thank the people behind it. We’re getting full access to the Vice President and government Ministers,” Williams said.
“My concerns were about documenting the small businesses in the interior. Where I am, is Kamarang, upper Mazaruni. So, it takes maybe about three months for us to get out all the documents that are required to do the business permits. So, at the end of those three months, we have to wait an additional three months. So, I was wondering if we could get it in a shorter time… I’m satisfied with the response,” Edwards meanwhile added. (G-3)