Minister of State, Joseph Harmon and Public Affairs Minister Dawn Hastings-Williams, who were in Tain, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) for the “Bringing Government to the People” initiative on Tuesday, met with residents of Albion, Liverpool/Manchester and Fyrish/Gibraltar to discuss and attend to several of their concerns.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon listens to a resident as he makes a point during the community meeting at the Fyrish Basketball Court
Stopping first at Liverpool/Manchester, Ministers Harmon and Hastings-Williams met with the young people as well as the elderly residents to listen to some of the challenges in their community, which included complaints about drainage and irrigation, security and public infrastructure.
The Minister of State, according to the Ministry of Presidency’s Public Affairs Unit, on the spot, took a decision to hire two excavators owned by a villager to clear the waterways in the area. He also made it pellucid that all persons needed for the operation must be hired from within the community. He also committed to raising the other matters with the relevant subject Ministers.
In an invited comment, a resident, Wilson Monroe, said that he was pleasantly surprised to see the Minister addressing concerns of residents on the spot.
From Manchester, the ministerial team travelled to Albion to fulfil a promise that Minister Harmon made to residents at the “Bringing the Government to the People” event held at the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus that he would visit to take a look at the condition of their road, which was their main complaint.
Over at the Fyrish Basketball Court, Minister Harmon told the crowd gathered there that the Government considers the community meetings and public day activities to be an important exercise in the conduct of Government business.
Minister Harmon noted that the Administration is cognisant that most persons simply require better access to Government services and amenities such as water, roads, lights and recreational facilities and it is the duty of the Government to provide same.
Additionally, Minister Harmon announced that soon, the Government will be establishing a medical institution on the Corentyne Coast to ensure easier and faster access to health services.
Minister Hastings-Williams echoed these sentiments even as she noted that the Government is one that listens to the people and residents can rest assured that their issues would receive the utmost consideration.
At the close of the meeting, Minister Harmon committed to engaging the Public Infrastructure Ministry with the view of having a team from that entity visit to examine the state of the roads, while the Social Cohesion Ministry has already committed to providing a recreational facility for the community.
