President: LGE will mend broken communities
President David Granger addresses the anniversary gathering (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)
President David Granger addresses the anniversary gathering (Photo by Cullen Bess-Nelson)

Shauna Jemmott
WITH the holding of Local Government Elections by March next year, local communities will have the opportunity to take the lead in rebuilding the shattered communities in the society.This was the view of President Granger, who was at the time speaking at an elaborate ceremony to celebrate the 29th anniversary of St Francis Community Developers, and the commissioning of St Francis Guest House at Rose Hall Town, Berbice.
While some communities have become disorganised with unsanitary conditions – potholed roads, clogged drains and canals, infrastructural neglect and abandonment among others – and some still burn or bury garbage, as others ignore building and zoning codes.
The postponing of Local Government Elections over years has created a managerial gap and left many communities in a state of neglect. Local Government Elections were last held in 1994. Recently, the government announced that the long overdue elections will be held in March 2016.
“The over-centralised local government approach is no good. We are going to have Local Government Elections by March next year. We need communities which are elected,” he stated, winning hearty applause from hundreds in the audience.
Region 6 is the only region in Guyana with three towns, and the President said the government is working to establish at least one town in each of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions.
Earlier press reports named Mabaruma, Region 1; Bartica, Region7; Mahdia, Region 8; and Lethem in Region 9 as the government’s choices for township upgrade before Guyana celebrates 50 years as an independent nation.
Local governments, Mr Granger said, “Are in touch with the needs of the people [and given] their familiarity with the local conditions, [local officials] can mobilise resources.”
With the establishment of such units, Granger said social problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide, which the region complained about, can be more adequately addressed. He encouraged NGOs to partner in this initiative.
“We need the NGOs to partner if you are to overcome these problems. These organisations are favoured channels [and] donor organisations seek these organisations to boost community development.”
Important values
Education and other important values must now be considered by community organisations, since community development has to be taught.
They must inculcate “The values of responsibility, reliability, integrity [and] regional identity,” values which he said “cannot be learnt intuitively, but have to be inculcated in the uninitiated.”
With Guyana going green, citizens have to understand the importance of change, adjust to using alternative sources of energy, and manage solid waste, among other ways.
“We are so caught up with petroleum, we’ve forgotten bio-gas, we’ve forgotten water. But East Berbice, Corentyne is almost an island … let’s understand the environment in which we live. Let’s get energy from wind, from water, from the sun,” the President said.
Mr Granger also said his government is committed to ensuring NGOs survive, but the organisations will have to be accountable for the funds in order to attract more needed support.
He is optimistic that with government’s creation of the Ministry of Communities, Guyana will see changes in partnership with NGOs.
“Guyana has to see a change, a change in orientation, a change in organisation. That is the reason the Ministry of Local Gov’t was renamed the Ministry of Communities. It is meant to change the attitude of the ministry to the regions,” he said.
The President added that the change he speaks about supports building communities instead of imposing government.
“It is not a cosmetic change, it emphasises a new policy and we intend to create that change, not only through the ministry but in partnering with NGOs. We do not intend to impose any policy on civil society without extensive, exhausted communication,” he said.

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