Help desks established in Region 6

– aiming to improve delivery of Government services to citizens

The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has established help desks for the 19 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and three Municipalities in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), as part of a wider initiative to improve the delivery of Government services to citizens countrywide.
This initiative to establish help desks is a brainchild of President Dr Irfaan Ali, and is being implemented countrywide to ensure citizens have improved access to Government services.
Persons who staff these help desks would be responsible for providing support and guidance to citizens seeking assistance at their respective locations.
When Local Government Minister Sonia Parag met on Monday with the newly appointed staff members of the help desks across Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), at the Regional Democratic Council’s Boardroom in Vryman’s Erven, she told them, “I am not saying that you have to know everything; but you should, off of your own you should. But (you should know) the main and major services that are being offered, and you need to know where these services are being offered. So, don’t tell somebody to go to the Ministry of Labour when they should be going to the Ministry of Human Services.”
Pointing out that these staff members would have to advise and assist persons with applications for Government house lots, and the process and requirements when building, among other services, Minister Parag urged the help desk staffers to equip themselves with the necessary knowledge to effectively assist the public.
Emphasising the importance of maintaining professionalism, discipline and patience when dealing with members of the public, she advised, “You also need to know how many schools you have in the region, and where they are located. You need to know the dates when CXC is being written and also the dates when NGSA is being written. You are going to be like a human computer. I cannot underscore enough how important your role is, because you are the first responder to the people on the ground; and for our Government, the people matter more than anything else.”

Turned away
One of these new employees, Kia Morgan, a 37-year-old from the Hogstye-Lancaster area, said she turned up at the NDC on Monday and was turned away by the overseer.
Expressing disappointment and confusion over the treatment she and her colleague had received upon arriving at their new workplace on Monday, she detailed, “Myself and my colleague here are from Hogstye-Lancaster village, and we reported for duty today as instructed. However, we were met with hostility by the overseer there. (For) one: she told us – even the chairwoman came and she told us – that they don’t have any space for us there. What she said to us is that she is not aware of this. She said she called the Regional Chair and the REO, and they said they’ll look into it. My friend – my colleague – and I went there with hot smiles, ready to serve our community. However, with this hostility, we were avoided. I told her we’ll come again tomorrow. She said, ‘Do not come here, this is not a Government building.’ So, what I’m asking here is if that can be clarified.”
Currently the NDC building is under construction, and staff are housed at a village facility.
In response, Minister Parag said she would have the NDC unit at the Ministry contact the Hogstye-Lancaster NDC.
“We are putting people from your community to be able to assist you with the necessary information that needs to be known by the community. You will get a cussing if you don’t have that in place; and you’re putting people there to help them, to give them that extra assistance, and you still get a cussing?” she asked rhetorically.