TEMPERS flared yesterday as dozens of persons with housing concerns queued up since dawn outside the Ministry of Communities on Brickdam, only to be told just before 10:00hrs they could not see the minister.The minister at reference is Minister within the Ministry of Communities Keith Scott, who has portfolio responsibility for housing matters.

But the good news, however, is that although the steady swell of prospective homeowners was fast developing into an irate mob, more than 65 persons were allowed into the building before the gate was closed shut.
Those left outside were advised that they would have to return at a later date to see the minister, since the day’s quota had already been met.
In light of what transpired yesterday, Remington Nelson Personal Assistant to Minister Scott, is calling on members of the public to exercise patience when seeking audience with the minister.
The Guyana Chronicle, around 10:00 hrs yesterday, responded to a call about a ‘ruckus’ outside the Ministry of Communities, as the former Ministry of Husing and Water is now called.
On arrival there, several persons were seen queueing up outside the ministry’s gate waiting to gain entry to the compound, while a guard was trying as tactfully as she could to control the situation.

‘MINISTER’S PUBLIC DAY’
Seeking to set the record straight, Nelson explained that Wednesday is a day set aside for Minister Scott to see members of the public to address land-related matters.
On this day, referred to as ‘Minister’s Public Day’, the minister is available to the public from 08:00 hrs to 14:00 hrs, during which time he would see an average of 65 persons.
The situation was no different yesterday. On arrival, persons are issued with numbers which determine the sequence in which they enter and occupy seats in the waiting area.
Nelson recalled that at the last ‘open day’, some 58 persons were able to see the minister, and that this week that number had been generously increased to about 65, with a possibility of rounding off at 73.
He reasoned that the minute people hear that the minister is having an ‘open day’, they turn up, fully expecting to see him. So when they hear about a shut-off point that puts a damper on their spirits.
But the reality is that, given that the minister will only work a specified number of hours in one day, he cannot meet with all the people who turn up that day. Hence, only those who were booked were allowed entry yesterday, which is what caused the problem.
But, Nelson said, the situation was quickly addressed and staff were made to take the names of those persons denied entry and record them for priority consideration next Wednesday, or whenever they can be accommodated on the minister’s list.

CLEARING BACKLOG
He also explained that due to circumstances beyond his control, the minister was not available to meet with the public over the last few weeks, hence the office is now trying to clear that backlog.
He noted that there is a system in place for handling the ‘Minister’s Public Day’ initiative, and a committee that was specially set up will be revisiting the situation with a view to clearing that backlog. In that light, those who were there before would be given priority the next time around.

CONCERNS
Some of the concerns have to do with application for land – some new, some long overdue; persons seeking updates on the progress of their applications; and persons having other problems with land allocated to them.
And commenting on what would prevent a recurrence of this kind, Nelson categorically said “Patience!” He called for patience from members of the public, adding: “I can tell you, the minister is very concerned about meeting the housing needs of the entire population, more so those who are in immediate need, so the public would have to have patience,” he reiterated.
“It wouldn’t be fair to bring people who are now coming, and place them ahead of those who were there before. So he’s working to clear that backlog,” Nelson said.
He threw out a call to members of the public, as he appealed to let good sense prevail and understand that sometimes many of the concerns they raise with him can be dealt with by other officials within the ministry.” He said a lot of the time, people will call the minister’s secretariat and the issues they want to discuss, more often than not, can be dealt with by the land administration officials, for example.

By Shirley Thomas