Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams, who attended the recent commemoration ceremony in Victoria Village, on November 29, is adamant that for development to be impactful, it must reach the grassroots.
The Golden Arrowhead being hoisted at anniversary celebration
The AG said development should permeate through villages. “It is the philosophy of your government that the economies of the village must be revived if people-centred development is to be prioritised,” AG Williams said.
He further stated that Government was, therefore, committed to improving the economic infrastructure.
“Roads, bridges irrigation and electricity to support village economies, including the development of your farmlands.”
On November 7, 1839, Plantation Northbrook, now Victoria village, was purchased by 83 free men and women from five plantations: Ann’s Grove, Dochfour, Enmore, Hope and Paradise.
Describing Victoria Village, as the mother of the village movement, the Attorney General said that simple financial transaction, by unlettered men and women, transformed the then colony of British Guiana.
“The purchase of a single plantation, and conversion into a village laid the foundation for the establishment of a nation,” AG Williams said.
According to a report posted by the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Minister also told villagers that Government was stimulating entrepreneurship and enterprise in order to invigorate the economies of villages, particularly in developing cottage industries and small- and medium-scale enterprises.
“Your government is supporting the continued quest of people for economic independence.”
He said Government viewed villages as important to generating jobs and wealth for the people of Guyana, while noting that the reintroduction of Local Government Elections (LGE) in 2016 was a first step in the empowering of villages to having a greater say in the management of their communities.
