EFFORTS by the Ministry of Communities to build on the housing policies of past administrations are commendable. Outside of a family and education, owning a house is often seen as one of man’s greatest accomplishments.A house is not only a physical structure , but also a monetary asset that can be used towards future investment, serving as surety. News recently that the Ministry of Communities, through the minister with responsibility for Housing led a delegation to Suriname to follow up on a proposal submitted by a housing construction company to build turn-key houses is somewhat perplexing.
Guyana is not short of turn-key housing development, the intellectual capacity, nor the construction methodology to get it done. To Guyana’s credit, its government, civil society and citizens have utilised various approaches in this regard, as evident in all three counties. In Essequibo, there are housing schemes such as in Henrietta and Suddie; Festival City and South Ruimveldt in Georgetown; and BERMINE and Town Council in Berbice to name some. The trade unions also participated in turn-key communities such as TucVille the Stevedore Scheme in Georgetown, Tucber in New Amsterdam and Kwakwani in the Berbice River.
These houses still stand and having been built with the ingenuity of local labour, and at times utilising the prospective home-owners (i.e. self-help) under supervision of skilled foremen, with technical support coming from the housing ministry. It should be said that these houses were built in the 1960s and 1970s, which is more than enough testimony to the capabilities of Guyanese and possibilities when given opportunity to be self-sufficient. On the financial side, prospective home-owners sourced funding through various lending institutions, such as the state-owned Mortgage Finance Bank, New Building Society, credit unions and private banks, using the properties as surety. In some instances where public sector workers participated in building their houses, government facilitated time-off from work with pay and other benefits.
Where skilled artisans are needed today Guyana has more than a ready pool. Guyanese carpenters, masons, plumbers, furniture-makers, painters, draughtsmen and so forth can be found all over the country. Many have exported their skills and are in high demand in the Caribbean and afar, even as some choose to remain or return in the hope that employment or economic opportunities can be had.
Reportedly a trade school, the Guyana Industrial Training Centre which still functions, was built to provide the housing development drive with ready, available, and appropriate pool of skills. Outside of that, others got to learn through apprenticeship to experienced artisans. Unemployment in Guyana is very high. Most notably among the unemployed is the demographic age 40 years and younger who make up about approximately 65 percent of the population. In the retired pool, there are skilled and talented persons, some of whom are retired, not due to inability, but that of statutory requirements, who would be willing and able to work alongside the younger generation in the continuous process of being involved in the building of Guyana and helping the housing drive.
When the minister reported that the Suriname-based company made a commitment to hire 50 percent Guyanese and found this remarkable, no disrespect is meant to this minister in saying that Guyanese possess the capacity and capability to do this project utilising 100 percent of their labour. Looking at the model house which is presented as proof of the contractor’s work, outside of the ministry’s recognition of our topography that local houses would be built on stilts, it ought to be of priority, given that Guyana has embarked on a Green Economy, to retrofit new houses likewise. The proposed turn-key housing project provides ample opportunity to do ground-breaking work in creating green communities through appropriate climate ventilation, natural lighting in houses, hybrid use of energy, environmentally compliant waste-management system, recreational and mental facilities (playground, library/reading centres), community building, neighbourhood association, proper water management, roads with sidewalks, and so forth. In the 21st century when the world is rethinking development cognisant of climate change and the need to protect the environment, the APNU+AFC administration can be on the cusp of tapping into the ingenuity, natural resources, skills and talents of Guyanese in presenting an alternative to the present. There is nothing Guyanese cannot do when given the opportunity, equally as there is nothing wrong with Guyana that cannot be made right by Guyanese. These turn-key houses should prove a start in this direction.