Communities Ministry begins planning for next five years
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan delivering remarks at the ministry’s 2019 Senior Staff Conference (Delano Williams photo)
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan delivering remarks at the ministry’s 2019 Senior Staff Conference (Delano Williams photo)

By Tamica Garnett
THE Ministry of Communities (MoC) has begun crafting a five-year strategic plan even as it reviews the challenges and successes of 2019.

Work on the plan began at the ministry’s Annual Senior Staff Conference held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Liliendaal, on Tuesday.

“MoC is at a juncture where we have come a full-five year planning cycle since establishment. We have to commence a process of review to see how impactful we have been since establishment and simultaneously design solutions that will allow the ministry to improve 2020 and beyond,” noted MoC Special Projects Officer, Roger Rogers, whose department organised the event.

Delivering the keynote address at the conference, Minister Ronald Bulkan commended the staff for the many achievements and emphasised that no amount of misinformation can eclipse the developments made in neighbourhoods across Guyana.
These occur in the areas of water supply coverage, road construction, street light installation and housing development.

“No amount of political spinning or twisting can denigrate the solid achievements of the Ministry of Communities. Our local government organs and agencies have laid the foundation for sustainable community development,” Minister Bulkan stated.
The conference is being held under the theme “Advancing Local Government and Sustainable Community Development through enhanced collaboration for effective service delivery in a green economy”.

Emphasising the need for synergies among the various departments, the minister said the theme was fitting and timely.

“The importance of collaboration and coordination cannot be overstated. We can no longer afford to operate in silos. For sustainable communities, collaboration will maximise the impact of interventions which will allow for public sector efficiencies,” Bulkan told the gathering of departmental heads and other officials.

Also present were many of the regional executive officers from across the country and MoC Permanent Secretary, Emil McGarrel and Chairman of the Board of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Elsworth Williams.

VALUE FOR MONEY
Bulkan underscored the need for effective functioning of the ministry to ensure taxpayers get value for their money.

A section of the gathering at the MoC 2019 Senior Staff Conference (Delano Williams photo)

“What we spend is taxpayers’ resources. As taxpayers, we all feel the pinch and squeeze when we get our payslip and see the portion that is taken out to go to the treasury. I would like to see efficiency for those tax dollars, to which I help to contribute. As we await the 2020 budget, it is incumbent on you to review your systems, identify the impediments, possible solutions, offer the best possible advice so we can hit the ground running after the passage of that budget,” he said.

The first day of the event saw presentations by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) as well as presentations from the MoC Sanitation Management Unit; Planning Department; Local Government and Regional Development; Community Development Council Department; and the Engineering Services Unit.

The CHPA presentation was ‘offered’ by Chief Executive Officer, Lelon Saul, who noted that over the past five-year period, the entity performed satisfactorily, notwithstanding being faced with challenges such as inadequate resources, unfavourable weather and inadequate contractor capacity.

He also spoke of the trials the authority faced as it pertained to squatting and finding adequate housing to meet the massive and ever-growing demand by the Guyanese populace.

“These challenges did not deter us from providing services to the nation. We responded positively to the challenges by implementing new policies, methods, tools and techniques,” he said.

Achievements by the authority included the on-going infrastructural upgrades in the Sophia community, the construction of 25 houses at Upper Mazaruni; and sustainable housing for hinterland projects in Regions One and Nine.

Housing solutions as well as financing solutions for prospective homeowners were some of proposals discussed during the interactive session, in which the minister ‘fielded’ questions from his senior staff.

GREAT STRIDES
During the GWI presentation, Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van West Charles, spoke of the utility’s achievement of extending the coverage of potable water to approximately 97 per cent of coastlanders and 85 per cent of residents in the hinterland.
Using an example of how new technologies had improved efficiency at GWI, Minister Bulkan highlighted the need for the exploitation of technology to increase efficiency in all the other areas of the ministry.

“The choice we have is to be a part of that technological world or run the risk of being left behind. Irrespective of which part of the ministry we are, it is imperative that we make use of technology to ensure not only our efficiency but our relevance. We would hear during the course of this conference some of the newer technologies employed and adopted within parts of the ministry,” he said.

Bulkan attributed many of the strides made in communities across the country to the reinstatement of the country’s local government system, which was practically non-existent prior to 2015.

“Local government is not where it was four and a half years ago, it has been elevated. With huge political and financial investment made by this administration over the past four years, this system has now been positioned to strategically support national development as it was intended when it was conceptualised,” Bulkan said.

Local government elections were held in 2015 after an ‘absence’ of more than 20 years. Such elections were also held in 2018.

“In 2015, we were given the opportunity to be part of a new ministry. We were given the task of being trail-blazers of a new philosophy which aimed to depart from the delivery of individual services, such as housing or water, to the delivery of a holistic community experience through restoration of local government system,” Bulkan noted.

Tuesday’s event marked the first day in a series of events being held by the ministry, which will conclude on Friday with an Action Round Table on regional development. Aside from the continuation of the staff conference on Wednesday, some 25 staff members are also expected to be honoured at an inaugural Local Government Awards Ceremony.
The Action Round Table for Regional Development will begin on Thursday.

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