THE Ministry of Communities has slammed the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for criticising its decision to assign a flag and emblem to each administrative region.The Ministry in a statement said the utterances of the PPP/C on the matter are an indication that the party has lost its way, and is clutching at straws in a desperate attempt to remain relevant.
“The PPP obviously has little understanding of the context and purpose of the initiative, since all of that party’s 12 Regional Members of Parliament absented themselves from the forum at which the emblems were introduced, although they were, of course, invited.
“For their information, the flags and emblems were proposed at the Regional Democratic Councils’ Leadership Forum (RDCLF) on July 31, 2015, which was held under the theme: “Unveiling a Vision of Regional Empowerment”. The proposal is part of the Administration’s vision and strategic direction to empower Local Democratic Organs to manage their own affairs, as stipulated in Article 74 of the Constitution,” the Ministry led by Minister Ronald Bulkan explained.
It noted that the new direction will result in each region having pride of identity, pointing out that the Administration’s strategic thrust will result in each Regional Democratic Council (RDC) being expected to begin to take more ownership of their region’s development, by leveraging their human and natural assets to attract investment, generate economic development, and create jobs.
“Unfortunately, the PPP’s failure to see the link between empowerment of the people and economic development has resulted in the current state of backwardness which this Administration now seeks to reverse.  The Cooperative Republic of Guyana intends to move towards a future in which democracy flourishes and ordinary Guyanese have ownership of power to manage their lives in a democratic society, governed from the grassroots level instead of a central dictatorship, as the PPP regime had done.
“The strategic vision of regional empowerment is not new; it has always been at the core of the coalition’s philosophy. We recall that when His Excellency President Granger addressed the Regional Chairmen following their swearing-in, he had urged that each council fashion a Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD). As the acronym suggests, Central Government intends that decision-making power should be a two-way street, with the regions being more meaningfully engaged in crafting developmental plans while Central Government provides support to enable them to become self-sufficient and self-sustaining,” the Ministry of Communities said.
The Ministry also contended that the PPP/C has again demonstrated its loss of contact with reality by stating that each region having an emblem, somehow detracts from the importance of the National Flag.