By Alva Solomon

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo, acting as President in the absence of President Granger, has urged public servants to serve the public faithfully. He is contending that inefficiency must be a thing of the past.The acting President issued this charge to a sizable gathering of persons at the New Amsterdam Town Hall on Friday during the Administration’s two-day outreach to the Ancient County.

Also on the outreach are Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix, and representatives of several public sector agencies.
The Prime Minister said that after assuming office last year, the Government made its duty known — that it will go out and meet the citizenry and identify with them.
“Let them bring the problem to us,” he said.

He noted that in the world today, there are bureaucrats who “dodge the people”, and he added that it’s a “disease that affects people all over the world”.

“Here, in Guyana, we want to reinvent the role of our public servants…that they are the servants of the public, of the people; their first duty is to the people, who pay for them to be in the position they hold,” he said.

PARTNERSHIP
The acting President highlighted the presence of the region’s leaders, noting that partnership is important for good governance.
Mr Nagamootoo said he was pleased that Region Six Chairman David Armogan, Regional Executive Officer Dr Veersammy Ramayyah, and the municipal leaders of New Amsterdam, including Mayor Kirt Wynter, were in attendance at Friday’s forum.

He noted that decentralisation of governance will bode well for the country’s development. “It is that way of sharing responsibilities that we can solve more problems,” he said, and described Minister Harmon as a “trailblazer” on the outreaches of the Government to several regions across the country.

Harmon told the audience that, prior to the visit, the Prime Minister had highlighted the importance of the team’s trip to the Ancient County.

He highlighted the importance of the exercise, noting that “what we recognise is that so many people wanted to see us, but we didn’t have much time to see them”.

The Minister of State said some persons who attend the outreaches usually air their concerns and give recommendations and solutions.

“We have decided to bring the office to you,” he said, noting that the Government wants to listen to the complaints and concerns of the populace and address them.

Regional Chairman David Armogan told the gathering he was happy that a number of Government officials and public agency representatives were in the region to assist in solving the problems affecting the people of the area.
He said that many persons would, from time to time, make complaints about problems affecting them, including those they encounter at the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), among others.

The Regional Chairman said the day’s activities presented opportunity for the residents to raise their concerns and have their problems solved on the spot; and if not immediately, at some point in the future.