PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar and staffers at Office of the President (OP) have been meeting with representatives of the Linden community on a daily basis, sometimes at very short notice, on the major issues affecting the residents and how these could be resolved. Disclosing this yesterday, Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon said the  engagements of the Administration of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice) and Central Government were frequent and constructive and Government is of the view that the differences “as profound as they appear to be” are surmountable.
He, however, expressed regret that the situation on the ground at Linden is being complicated by the resolve of extremists and external interests involved in interference and interventions.
Luncheon said the Government is quite unhappy with the actual form that the protests have taken in the community itself.
He said the blocking of roads and bridges by protestors is unacceptable because it has created a situation of rendering inaccessible the corridors and links between Linden and the rest of the Administrative Regions to which it is linked, notably Regions Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) and certain parts of Region Six ( East Berbice/Corentyne).
Luncheon said, even as the talks are ongoing, Government continues to reject the situations on the ground enforced by fear and intimidation.

IMPACTING NEGATIVELY
He said President Ramotar maintains that the continuation of those forms of protest are impacting negatively on a wide range of matters that influence the prospects for the development of Linden and the development of Region 10 as a whole.

The ongoing dialogue between the Administration of Region 10 and the President and OP staffers are based on three burning issues affecting the community.
These, the HPS said, had been identified as, firstly the design of the actual process to be adopted by both sides towards the ending of the electricity subsidy in Linden; secondly the planning of the Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the shooting deaths during the protests  and, thirdly, interventions leading to  improvements of the  socio-economic status of the people of Linden and Region 10 as a whole.
Luncheon said, at the most recent meeting between the Government and the Regional Administration, the Regional Chairman had raised as many as ten issues but the three had been agreed on as the priorities.
The HPS said the resolution of the matters leading to the protest is linked to an agreement, by the parties on both sides, on these issues for which the different positions are known and have been disclosed at meetings.
”I cannot say, precisely, how agreements will be made on both sides, on the mechanism, the actual steps to be taken, the timeframe, etc!, to resolve the issues surrounding the end of the electricity subsidy in Region 10. I, however, can say, without any hesitation, that it is an end point to which both sides and, indeed, all stakeholders are committed,” he stated.
Luncheon said although he could not say, for sure, that the protest in Linden would not get worse, given the readiness of the Government and the Regional Administration to meet and participate in, sometimes instantly arranged, meetings, he is optimistic that the protests and their intensity would diminish.

EXTREMELY CORDIAL
“As I remarked, the bilateral engagements are frequent and they, indeed, have been extremely cordial and have led to significant attention being paid to exploring, through that medium of dialogue and consultation, the way forward for the issues affecting the Linden community,” he
indicated.
He also reported that he and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Parliamentarian Joseph Harmon are working on the compilation of the terms of reference for the Commission of Inquiry into the shooting deaths of the three protestors and he is confident that the August 2 deadline for submission would be met.
Government, earlier this week, announced that the July 1 deadline on which the electricity tariff hike was scheduled to take effect in Linden had been put on hold and that, following consultation with officials from Region 10 and the political opposition, it had moved to establish a technical team to brainstorm options.
During  the first of a series of daily OP media updates on current national issues, the HPS had said the decision to have them was prompted by the “inciting” protest actions and unrest sparked in the bauxite town.
In accord with this decision, a review will include all available and practical options and the attendant implications, financial and otherwise, he had said.
He said the Government undertook to have members of the technical team named with collaboration from both sides and they would draft the terms of reference (TOR) that would be agreed upon.
The various positions advanced by the Government have been submitted to Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon, for a response, Luncheon said.
The HPS said the July 23 meeting, between the Government and Region 10 officials and Opposition politicians, was candid with both sides committed to finding solutions to resolving the outstanding issues in Linden.
During dialogue with APNU and AFC in April, on the National Budget, the Government committed to resuscitating the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) that succeeded the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP).
The Government encouraged the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) in Region 10, in consultation with the community, to submit, by the end of next month, its list of priorities for economic activities beneficial to the Linden community and Region 10 in the short, medium and long term.
The Government also undertook to have the Ministry of Agriculture work with farmers of West Watooka and other parts of Linden to realise the potential in agriculture.
The establishment of a micro-credit scheme for the Region, along the lines of the Women of Worth (WOW) programme and a commercial bank to facilitate the processing of loans for Linden and Region 10, specifically, also formed part of the commitment.