Ministers hold community meeting with Shieldstown residents
MINISTER of Agriculture Mr. Robert Persaud and Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran joined regional officials and residents for a community meeting on Saturday last at Shieldstown, West Coast Berbice. The Shieldstown meeting was a continuation of Government’s countrywide interaction to keep persons informed on initiatives implemented to improve their lives.
Addressing the villagers, Minister Persaud said the PPP/C administration had the longest democratic domination because of these principles of communicating with the people.
“We have always held the belief that to have effective governance, there must be constant interaction with the people,” he was quoted by the Government Information Agency (GINA) as saying.
Interaction and discussion with the people have defined and separated the PPP/C administration from the previous administration and the Government of other countries, he said.
The Agriculture Minister also noted that the administration’s vision is to create a society in which every citizen can enjoy the country’s progress and potential.
Initiatives such as hydropower will provide cheap and reliable energy as well as develop new industries.
Another of government’s bold initiative is economic diversity. Minister Persaud told residents that Government, recognizing that to grow, develop and modernise it must remove its dependence on the traditional industries.
He said the danger of depending on a few traditional activities was made very clear, when the European Union unilaterally decided to end the sugar regime and, without Government’s new strategy, the sugar industry in Guyana would have been crippled.
He pointed out that the sugar industry in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, to name a few, were forced to close because of the European decision.
He told residents that significant resources were employed to adopt a new strategy as the sugar industry is very important to Guyana.
He urged residents not to listen to the media and other political parties which, around elections time, would try to distract them from all the good that the government has done, emphasising only the bad instead.
He stressed that the Party and administration, while not perfect, having made mistakes, is still committed and will continue to stay the course and the vision of building a brighter Guyana will be fulfilled.
Highlighting the significant changes brought about under the PPP/C administration, Minister Ramsaran asked residents to consider these changes in the context of where the country was and how far it has progressed under the administration of the PPP/C.
From the transformation of the Health sector to the changes made in the human services and social security sectors.
He told the residents that the administration’s new manifesto for the upcoming elections will build and consolidate on what the Party has already achieved.
He asked residents to scrutinize the manifesto, checking out the promises that will be made and monitor the country’s progress.
Regional Chairman Mr.  Harrinarine Baldeo, emphasised specifically the changes that the administration has implemented in Region Five. He called attention to the new $400M water treatment plant at Cotton Tree, the increase in the number of schools in the region, specifying the newly commissioned De Hoop Primary and the constant upgrading of the Mahaicony Diagnostic Centre, among others.