The failure of Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan to meet with the Chairman and Councillors of the Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice) Democratic Council (RDC) to discuss pertinent issues was met with an unfavourable response, as outlined during the hosting of the Council’s most recent statutory meeting.
Regional Councillor Gordon Callender alluded to the Council that Councillor Denise Belgrave, in an extended motion which was passed in the Council recently, would have asked for a discussion between Councillors and the Minister. Councillor Belgrave, in putting forward an extension and conclusion of the motion which was initiated by Councillor Charles Sampson, had requested that the Communities Minister be invited for serious discussions with the RDC, the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) and Community Development Councils (CDCs) on various concerns and issues affecting the Region. However, it was noted that the visit was yet to take place. Regional Chairman Renis Morian, who described the situation as “sad”, noted that it was only an “invitation”, as he pointed out that a “directive” could not be sent to the Minister by the Council.
Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan
“The truth of the matter is…we are as a Council, and I know for sure that the (Linden) Town Council feel the same way, I know for sure that the NDC [Neighbourhood Democratic Council] at Kwakwani feels the same way, that after all this length of time we’re sitting here, we can’t have the visit of the Minister of Communities.”
“It’s not that when the Minister come anybody want to attack the Minister, but you want to feel that assurance that our minister is standing with us, supporting us and the issues that we will raise, if at his level he can’t deal with those issues, deal with the issues at Cabinet level,” he said.
The RDC had strongly rejected a decision taken by Permanent Secretary (PS) within the Communities Ministry, Emil McGarell to rotate its lone civil engineer. Councillors had lashed out, stating that the absence of four staffers who were sent on administrative leave a year and a half ago following fraud allegations has already had damning effects on the Council’s works output. As such, a motion was put forward by Councillors Sampson and Belgrave, requesting, among other things, that the staff be reinstated immediately and for the Communities Minister to engage various administrations across the Region. Prior the motion, Morian read to the Council a letter sent to the administration, addressed to Clive Peters, the lone civil engineer of Upper Demerara for his reassignment to Region One (Barima-Waini), with effect from May 22. Councillors argued that to now have the engineer transferred amidst all the “confusion” was adding ‘salt to the wound’. The decision to transfer the lone engineer was, however, reversed, as highlighted by Morian during the most recent statutory meeting, but other issues still remain. The Regional Chairman also stressed the lack of representation from the Communities Ministry in dealing with several issues at Coomacka.
