Region 5 Chairman endorses Govt push for capital projects

Regional Chairman Ricardo Phillips has justified the Government’s emphasis on capital expenditure in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), saying investments are being directed towards projects that will have a meaningful impact on residents across the region.

Phillips made the remarks during a recent meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), where concerns were raised about narrow roads, street lighting, recreational facilities and environmental upkeep in several communities.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Regional Councillor, Emerson Benjamin, questioned the installation of street lights in villages while also expressing concern over the theft of Government infrastructure.
“I would have heard over the news that the Vice President would have mentioned how much thousands of streetlights will be erected throughout the country, which is good. But we can’t get the Government to put the streetlights in the community […] and no proper intervention to stop such acts,” Benjamin told the meeting.
The councillor also raised concerns about road expansion, drainage, recreational spaces and conditions in some communities, including areas near the Fort Wellington Hospital.
Benjamin further questioned whether operators attached to garbage trucks distributed to Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) had received proper training.

Development strategy
Responding to the concerns, Phillips said Government’s development strategy is centred on ensuring residents directly benefit from public spending.
“In previous years, the recurring expenses were higher than the capital expenses. And we were reminded by our Vice President that the capital expenditure should be higher than the recurring expenditure because we want to see tangible and meaningful investments that will impact the lives of every single resident of the region,” the Regional Chairman said.
Phillips explained that some roads remain narrow because of limited space and existing drainage canals but said Government is moving towards widening roadways and improving drainage infrastructure.
“Government policy is that we will transform shoulders into pavements so that, these fine streets, as you say, we will convert so that more than one vehicle can traverse at a time. And we’re also looking at concrete internal drains,” he explained.
The Regional Chairman also addressed concerns surrounding the theft of street lights, noting that reports have already been made to the Guyana Police Force, and investigations are ongoing.
According to Phillips, community recreational parks recently commissioned by First Lady Arya Ali are intended to serve multiple villages rather than individual communities alone.
He cited facilities at Bush Lot and plans for another recreational park at Belladrum as examples of projects aimed at promoting cohesion under the Government’s “One Guyana” initiative.
Phillips also supported the National Clean-up Campaign, saying Region Five recorded its largest participation turnout during the exercise while acknowledging that littering remains a cultural issue requiring public cooperation.
Addressing concerns about garbage trucks distributed to NDCs, Phillips said operators were trained during the handover process, and all of the trucks are currently operational across the region.