Minister Dharamlall urges Region 10 RDC, Municipality to work towards community transformation 

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall has assured of Government’s willingness to work collaboratively with the Region 10 Democratic Council (RDC) and the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) to move the region forward.

The Minister and team, including Minister within the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Anand Persaud, met separately with the two bodies in Linden on Friday. Minister Dharamlall, in his addresses to Regional Chairman Deron Adams and Councillors of the RDC, emphasised that the Local Government system would play a critical role in the transformation of the country. He highlighted that the Local Government and Regional Development sector has a massive budget, therefore its mandate is a great one.

The Minister, however, stressed that there cannot be transformation unless there is a change in the way business is conducted. This, he noted, would have to be prioritised based on the needs and authorisation of the people on the ground. In this vein, he urged Councillors to go out and work to determine the priorities of the people.
Minister Dharamlall contended that RDCs represent the Ministry in the various regions, and, as such, transparency and accountability are paramount in carrying out the Ministry’s mandate. He also pointed to the need for greater use and management of resources.
“It is important therefore that you play a great role in working with the administration in ensuring that the resources are well spent, and that the resources have a valued impact on the lives of people in Region 10. For us, the issues of transparency and accountability are paramount. The way we govern is also paramount,” the Minister said.
He noted that he would like to see the budget delivered in such a way that it creates more jobs and businesses for the people in the Region, as he shared his desire to see more community participation and more opportunities for development given to people in the various communities.
Minister Dharamlall also reminded the Council of the importance of consultation on the ground before decisions are made.
“I would like to see that the development that we have in our budget would take account of employment…I would like to see the people of Region 10 get more jobs under this Government. I would like to see that businesses in Region 10 grow out of this budget and future budgets. The biggest investor in this Region is the Government, or the taxpayers, and we have to make sure that the people here benefit…”, he iterated.
The Minister pointed out that the newly elected RDC now has a great opportunity to work towards development of people of Region 10, as he emphasised that part of Government’s mandate is to decentralise investment across the country.
“We have to transform the economy of Region 10… We have to ensure that each Region has an economic plan that would transform and that would be transformed of the respective Regions… So, in your transformative agenda, I would like to see the RDC taking that responsibility to vision for the future of Region 10… Your vision, Mr Chairman has to be beyond the confines of your Region… With all that is happening, the Regional economic and infrastructural plans would have to take account of how we reposition Region 10; how we are going to create more employment; how we are going to diversify; how we are going to get people on the cutting edge…”, the Minister noted.
According to the Minister, the Region has potential, given that it is strategically situated as a gateway to the interior of Guyana.
In moving forward, he urged that the local bodies work together and in collaboration with the Ministry, as he posited that there is great scope for Government intervention in Region 10.
Minister Dharamlall made the promise that Government would continue to invest based on the potential which the Region possesses, and will continue to work with every institution within it. (G13)