–Minister Bulkan tells Den Amstel Village Day

By Lisa Hamilton

MINISTER of Communities, Mr Ronald Bulkan feels it’s time Guyanese do away with the traditional winner-take-all type of politics and instead work towards achieving national unity.

He said as much on Wednesday at the hosting of the second annual National Day of Villages, which was held at the Den Amstel Community Centre Ground at Den Amstel, West Demerara.

The event, which was hosted by the Regional Administration in collaboration with the Minister of Social Cohesion and the Ministry of the Presidency, saw support from residents of several villages within the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara district.

It also saw among government officials in attendance Prime Minister Mr Moses Nagamootoo; Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton; Minister of Business and Tourism, Mr Dominic Gaskin and Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Ms Annette Ferguson.

And amidst a groundswell of calls for national unity, some persons at the event seized the opportunity to pointedly ask Minister Bulkan whether there was any particular reason why the advancement of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) is being accorded priority over the affairs of the other local democratic organs.

And, forever the diplomat he’s known to be, even before he entered politics, Minister Bulkan replied that contrary to popular opinion, it was not a matter of discrimination, but more about obligation.

“We should not be unmindful of the fact that Georgetown is our capital city,” he said, adding:
“That’s a special status! And therefore it can be counted as a special obligation and responsibility; not to discriminate but to be appreciative of that fact.”

He also pointed out that regional councils and local democratic organs have the lawful authority to raise their own revenue so that they are not entirely dependent on Central Government for finances to discharge their responsibilities. Both Minister Bulkan and the PM expressed their disappointment at the absence of the Region Three Chairman from the activity, which, in their opinion, is an increasing attempt by regional leaders to boycott events to which the president is invited.

Recalling that both the chairman and vice-chairman of Region One (Barima-Waini) were conveniently unavailable when the president recently visited Mabaruma, Minister Bulkan said: “Our regional chairpersons are going in the wrong direction; they seem to be observing a pattern of follow-the-leader. “But I’d like to urge and caution them that they bear responsibility; their responsibilities are to the residents of their regions, and if they choose not to engage and participate in official functions, then they are doing a disservice to the residents of their regions.”

Prime Minister Nagamootoo observed that, events such as a National Day of Villages is not for a secluded or specific set of people but for all Guyanese, and called upon those whom he believes are deliberately trying to sow seeds of discord at events intended to unify to desist from doing so. “Nothing is more vulgar than trying to set people apart on the basis of ethnicity; on the basis of their culture; on the basis of geography,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo said.

The scores of Guyanese who braved the inclement weather on Wednesday to celebrate with Den Amstel were entertained by an array of cultural music, dance and singing which all happened to coincide with the event’s theme, ‘Working in Harmony: Building Better Relationships for a Brighter Future’.

Following the conclusion of the event, the ministers, on behalf of the Ministry of Social Cohesion, presented a total of 45 hampers to senior citizens of the various communities present at the event. The celebration of National Day of Villages was first proposed back in 2003 by President Granger, who was then opposition leader. The intention at the time was to help foster togetherness among communities and to commemorate the history of Guyana’s first village, Victoria, which celebrated its 178th Anniversary on Tuesday.