– Enumerates current and future projects to develop Region 10
Along the way to Linden, from village to village, the transformation of Guyana is evident, even the bumper to bumper traffic for miles on the East Bank  highway bespeaks a level of prosperity that was unimaginable just a decade ago.
The Princess Hotel, the National Stadium at Providence, newly-built banking establishments, hospitals, private homes and housing schemes – the list is endless.

The Chronicle team covering yesterday’s Cabinet outreach in Linden, drove along several roads in and around the mining town, and it was evident from all that was seen and from conversations with the residents, that Linden is a town in transition.

The spanking new hospital, a multiplex being established by businessman Dunston Barrow, and other mushrooming enterprises indicate a town on the move, but a town that has a great way to go before it reaches its full potential.
And exploring that developmental potential was President Bharrat Jagdeo who, during a walkabout around  the town and at a meeting with representatives from the various wards yesterday invited residents to voice their concerns and suggestions on the way forward to develop the area and enhance the lives of members of Region 10.
The highly-charged reception by the residents to the President heralded great achievements through collaborative initiatives in the future. The cordial interactions between the President and the people of Linden bespoke a willingness on the part of everyone to address national developmental issues without the traditional impediment of politics.
Addressing the meeting at Watooka House, President Jagdeo said that there was a misconception that he only wanted to meet small groups of people.  He stressed that his intentions were to meet everyone whose communities were encountering problems and promised that he would re-visit the community in the near future to meet the people once more so that they could present their issues and raise their concerns.
Even while expressing his appreciation for the presence of the representatives, the President said that he had preferred to meet everyone.  He explained “We are not an exclusionary government…We believe people must have broad access to their leaders and officials who run the country. They must be able to question them and get answers from them.”
Saying that, while he is not able to make personal visits to communities as often as he wishes, President Jagdeo informed residents that the regional authorities are the face of the Government and they implement programmes on behalf of the Government, to which the residents loudly proclaimed their dissatisfaction with the performance of the regional authorities.
The President said that, because persons are not aware of all the facts surrounding issues being dealt with by the Government, their misconceptions often lead them to judge the administration harshly and unkindly.
He then enumerated some of the investments in the human capital and developmental works being done in Linden.
According to the President, the recurrent budget for Region 10 approximates $1.5 billion, with the capital budget being $950 million, which tallies to over $2 billion.
He said the newly-commissioned hospital cost in excess of $2 billion, and that over $12 billion was spent in the last seven years to subsidize electricity in the area, and the subsidy for 2010 would approximate $2.2 billion – about US$11 million.
Explaining that expenditure in Region 10 is greater per capita, the President says that he still hears people say that Government neglects the Region.
The President referred to the attempt by the administration to create employment for 360 residents through D&I projects, saying that the monthly wage bill for those workers is close to $8 million, which tallies to $96 million per year.
He said that, despite a bad start, one hundred and eleven persons are now employed at the call centre.  He also alluded to the empowerment enabled by  LEAP of many persons, and informed that a similar programme is currently being negotiated and will soon be implemented upon completion of formalities and the organizational structure.
President Jagdeo said that he had discussions with Banks DIH Chief Executive Officer Mr. Clifford Reis, who indicated that Citizens Bank will be providing services in the community from January.  He pledged his commitment to work with the financial institution to ensure that members of the community have greater access to banking services.
Disputing neglect of Region 10 or any other community, the President said that the Government is ‘even-handed’ in the management and distribution of the resources of the country.
He explained that stability in our economy has enabled the Government to continue to provide requisite services in an equitable manner in the country despite a global recession.
Quoting statistics, the President informed that in the USA over 10 million persons lost their homes because they could not service their mortgages, while another estimated 10 million lost their jobs; and that in China 40 million persons lost their jobs and that trillions of dollars were wiped out because of stock exchange volatility; when all these things were happening in the world, Guyana had a positive growth rate in the economy, with revenue being higher than that of the previous year, which was the second highest growth rate in the Western Hemisphere – the entire Latin America and the Caribbean.
Explaining that this was as a result of making right decisions and fixing the economy at the macro level, President Jagdeo referred to previous years, when in excess of 94 percent of our income – approximately US$100 million annually, was being used to service external debt, which was inherited by his administration.
The President explained that, because his administration had repaid US$1.5 billion, which equates to G$300 billion, our economy has been freed-up to pursue investment in social services and developmental works in the country.  According to the President, because the debt is no longer a burden, future generations will no longer have a debt of such magnitude to service.
He listed some of the accomplishments that this extra revenue has enabled, which include investments in human capital and social and physical infrastructural works, which are being delivered with equitable distribution all across the country.
He explained that, despite the Jamaican economy crumbling because their bauxite industry was incapacitated as a result of the global crisis, Guyana has still tried to sustain the bauxite industry in Linden through BOSAI and RUSAL so that the thousand-odd jobs can still be retained, even though the Chinese company had serious problems with world market prices for aluminum falling by about 100 percent, because it is the focus of the Government to sustain industries by working with the investors and creating a friendly environment, despite difficulties, in order to retain jobs.
However, the President says that the value-added approach is imperative and that plans to build an integrated aluminum smelter in Linden has not been abandoned, nor has the Marriott project, but merely delayed because the investors have been affected by the global recession.
President Jagdeo expressed his dissatisfaction in no uncertain terms with the services being delivered to the public by public servants and others employed to serve in the various governmental institutions, as well as officers at regional levels, which he says is derailing Government’s programmes and efforts to provide optimum services to the Guyanese public.
President Jagdeo said he is aware that the salaries has not reached the levels desired by the Government, but that if persons are dissatisfied they sho
uld leave the job and make way for others who would appreciate the employment opportunity and not attempt to derail Government initiatives by subverting systems and providing less than satisfactory services to the public.
He is resolute that this will be addressed so that the populace will not be shortchanged in the future, especially in the education and health sectors.
He tasked the Ministers and other officials to work harder in addressing the problems of the citizens of the land, with special mention made of Housing Minister Irfaan Ali’s target to provide to applicants 17,000 new house lots within a few years.  He said that, as we change the economic circumstances of our country, we also have to change our attitude to managing things.
During a very proactive session, the President was highly praised by residents, who offered him their support to move their communities forward.  Former treason accused Phillip Bynoe, who publicly thanked the President for the presidential pardon he had received, said that, judging from the enthusiasm, commitment, and the honesty he hears in the president’s voice, he is convinced that there are great things in store for Guyana, and especially for Linden.
Echoing the sentiments of many other speakers from the Region, Bynoe asked if the President could reconstruct the Constitution in some magical way to ensure a continuance of his presidency, to which the latter replied, amusedly, in the negative.
Bynoe said, to loud applause:  “Linden is begging to get out of the trap of negative politics.  Region 10 is begging to get out of that trap of negative politics – politics where Lindeners are fed on a diet of distrust and hate, confusion, aggression and attacks of hate-the-PPP, and don’t like the PNC.  This diet of hate has to die.  We in Linden are right now on the cusp of killing it, because we are entirely focused on the things you and your Government are focused on.”
“We are focused on development, on job creation, on improving the lives of the people in the community because we tell ourselves a dollar is a dollar.  It does not come stamped PPP or PNC.”
Bynoe applauded the improvement over the years in some of the services provided to his community.  He then went on to list some of his concerns  and made some suggestions on collaborative initiatives between the Government and the people of the community, which set the tone for hours of fruitful discussions between the President and members of the community, during which some decisions were taken immediately by the President, while some were referred for investigation, after which the President divided the residents into several groups to deal with the subject minister, who was then mandated to report the results at Cabinet for further discussions, with a view to finding solutions.