THE Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development hosted an appreciation and award ceremony for the ministry’s staff and those of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) on December 31, 2014.The ceremony, which was organised by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr Norman Whittaker, saw employees being rewarded for their years of service and

commitment to their jobs by the Minister, Permanent Secretary, Mr Collin Croal, and Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ms. Abena Moore.             As a result of an overall assessment of the performance of employees and commitment to their work,  67 workers, including 47 from 24 NDCs from Regions No. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, along with 40 from within the Ministry were issued tokens of appreciation for long service, commencing from 15 years and up, and for their commitment to the successful implementation of the ministry’s programmes.            Minister Whittaker extended heartfelt gratitude to the staff for the excellent services they have provided over the years. He also commended the employees for “finding satisfaction in their jobs, as well as their eagerness to share knowledge they acquired over the years.”
The Minister encouraged his employees “to improve the quality of service which will be provided to the people within the NDCs across Guyana” in 2015.  He emphasised the need to sustain the efforts of the $1B Clean-Up My Country Programme.    He also pointed out that “NDCs should make maximum utilisation of the brush cutters so that their purposes will be more visible by ensuring that roadside parapets and public spaces are kept clean.”
He said citizens need to be more responsible when disposing of their waste and urged employees “to arrest this decadence that pervades in some sections of our society where people continue to dump in open spaces.”

Further, the Minister also called on the representatives from the Local Authority to place emphasis on the sanitation of communities where persons should “desist from carrying out cattle and poultry rearing activities in residential areas” which pollute the air and water.
In addition, he urged representatives “to address the issue of noise nuisance in the communities,” adding:
“One of the prime measures of success has to be the timeliness and the success of implementing the Ministry’s plans, policies and development programmes. Our success depends on the large measure of your contribution.”
He said that while citizens depend on Central Government for funding, “the human resources whom you provide are integral and equally important for the efficient and effective administration of our local authorities.” (GINA)