Dear Editor,
The evidence is indisputable, and the Government is daily being seen and exposed for the fake frontier it presents. They can no longer place blame on the former PPP/C Government, which took our country to its highest ever level of development. As such, they seek to engage in distraction through unwarranted, bullish, undemocratic and corrupt practices, while promoting divisive tactics among targeted communities.
I have consistently received tremendous feedback from communities, including an overwhelming number of requests to highlight the serious malpractices that the APNU/AFC is perpetuating almost unabated in the Local Authority Areas. The efforts of many PPP/C won Councils are commendable, given the extreme efforts to frustrate community progress under their respective administration.
The Diamond/Grove NDC on the East Bank Demerara is just one of the many Councils that fall into this category. Justifiably, councillors are complaining that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC Region 4) and the Ministry of Communities are frustrating the delivery of work programmes through ‘delaying approval’ tactics.
It is very serious that the 2016 Diamond/ Grove NDC Government subvention is not being spent to date. The reason provided is that the Council received the $4 million subvention and set it aside to purchase a garbage truck, after obtaining the necessary permission. The RDC of Region Four took over the procurement process and decided where and from whom the truck would be bought. Since 2016, having allocated their own money with the REO’s compulsory signature, the truck to do the garbage collection has not been delivered. As a consequence, the NDC is finding it very difficult to keep the communities clean.
In relation to the 2017 Diamond/Grove NDC’s $4 million subvention, the manipulation of its use is being determined by the APNU/AFC-controlled Region Four Democratic Council. Information received confirms that the REO took control of the subvention and tendered for the works to be done. The Region decided to do a 120-foot road patching in 11th Avenue in Diamond; which, after significant delay, was hurriedly paid for.
A second 2017 project was allocated to do some work at Back Street Squatting Area; and again, this took serious complaints before some amount of messy work was done. From the remaining one million dollars, the Region was supposed to purchase one hundred and eleven tonnes of ‘crusher run’. Only last month (March 2018), they delivered seventy tonnes of ‘crusher Run’ and still owe the NDC forty-one tonnes of ‘Crusher Run’ for the 2017 subvention.
The NDC councillors are of the opinion that the Ministry of Communities and the RDC are spending too much money on projects that they can do much cheaper. The NDC is calling on the Local Government Commission (LGC) to look into these blatant and deliberate acts of the APNU/PNC representatives.
The unhindered functioning of the LCG is necessary to buttress the clearly biased acts of the Government. However, the Local Government Commission must start moving around the country and look into the numerous burning issues.
Today, most of the PNC appointed REOs are experiencing serious problems with their functioning in the Local Authority Areas. The REOs have become Czars unto themselves with the support of the Ministry of Communities. They appear to take much pride in frustrating the Local Government system.
We are at the end of the fourth month of 2018, and although the Budget allocations for the year were done since December 2017, the Ministry of Communities is not releasing the NDCs’ annual subventions for many of the LAAs, although the work programmes have been submitted.
The Local Government Commission must wake up and listen to the cries in the Local Authority Areas, the Regional Democratic Council and the Amerindian Village Councils for a more efficient and professional approach to getting things done effectively in service to the residents.
Sincerely,
Neil Kumar
