THE Cabinet outreach which commenced yesterday in Region Six has become an essential part of the government’s programme of keeping in touch with the people at the grassroots level.

Instituted with the accession to office of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) at the historic October 5, 1992 elections which marked this country’s return to the democratic fold of nations, these outreaches have become a hallmark of this administration’s style of governance.

Meeting regularly with communities across the country and hearing firsthand about problems at the village and town levels is one sure way for key decision-makers to keep their fingers on the pulse of the nation.

According to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, 10 teams of Cabinet members are meeting residents of 30 communities in this first outreach for this year.

The focus, he reported, is to garner inputs for the planning process for the 2010 budget which is being finalised.

He told reporters the team would also be discussing with residents three matters related to the government’s effectiveness.

These are — improving accountability, gathering and obtaining value for money in public procurement, and improving the delivery of public goods and services within the communities.

This is democracy at work and its prime value is the opportunity it allows ordinary people to brief the President and his Cabinet up close and personal about what is of primary importance to them.

Their problems are usually myriad, ranging from the need for better drainage, roads and other infrastructure to crime and other wider societal ills.

Given the constraints of financial and other resources, not all their problems will be addressed in this year’s budget or in any one annual budget for that matter.

The issues will have to be prioritised and this is what primarily happens during these Cabinet outreaches where consensus is reached and everyone is assured a piece of the national pie.

Citizens are thus brought into the bigger national picture and get a greater appreciation of what is involved in making decisions at the national level.

The important factor for those at the centre of power is ensuring meaningful follow-up action because the outreaches will be exercises in futility if they end up being mere roadside gaffs.

The government, by institutionalising the Cabinet outreaches, has so far demonstrated that these avenues of staying connected with the people are an essential part of governing in the best interest of all Guyanese.

Sterling testimony of this commitment is the internationally-acclaimed three-month national consultation process for the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which has set the model for other rainforest countries in the global battle against climate change.

Cabinet outreaches are as important as meetings of the National Assembly in helping Guyana chart the best way forward.