– during Region Five Cabinet Outreach
INCLUSIVE governance continues to be at the core of Guyana’s democracy; and to ensure that every citizen is catered for in the mainstream of Guyana’s development, Cabinet members yesterday reached out in sections of Region Five, West Coast Berbice.
The outreach which is held annually is aimed at engaging residents on proposed plans related to community development and programmes to be stipulated into the country’s 2011 National Budget.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Kellawan Lall, while addressing the gathering at the Lovely Lass Nursery School, emphasised the need for involvement at a community level to ensure that there are more timely developments.

He pointed out that one of the main concerns of Government is residents’ non-payment of yearly rates and taxes due to the state. According to the Local Government Minister, only 40 percent of the populace in the area pays their dues.
“I want all of us here to focus on the things that we can do to transform, improve and have progress, which you have been seeing over the years and will continue to see.”
“We really want people to be interested in the local democratic process at the village and neighbourhood levels. We want people to come on board and understand that the development system allows you to play a role in decision making,” he said.
The Minister said that currently, $25M is outstanding in rates and taxes for Region Five for this year alone, which will have a negative impact on community developments.
There are 13 villages in the community; and according to the Minister, of the $8M allocated to the Region, $5M alone is being used to pay overseers and utility bills.
“So you just have about $3M dollars remaining to do works in the community and obviously this is just a pittance.”
Despite the constraints of resources and to ensure that there are timely developments, Government will be allocating $3M this year to the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), for the purchase of crusherrun, construction of culverts and materials for the patching of roads.
Minister Lall, indicating that much more needs to be done, said that while expenses to run the NDC increase yearly, rates and taxes never increase. As such, he said that Government will have to find a way to increase rate collections.
The NDC will be tasked with ensuring that people come on board and pay their taxes, since the monies are used for the development of local communities.
“If you don’t pay your rates, your drains would not be cleaned, no bridges built and no kokers replaced,” he indicated.
Another issue that took centre stage was land for cattle pasture and proper drainage for their lands.
Minister Lall however committed his Ministry to have works done to the main drains, the building of a playground and the maintenance of the Lovely Lass Nursery School embarked upon. The NDC will also be spending $2M to upgrade streets and dig drains.