Dear Editor,

AS a resident living within the above NDC, I am compelled to write yet another letter as to what is happening in Region Five and this time around it’s about the said NDC that is being controlled by the PPP\C.After almost 20 years Local Government Elections were held in Guyana. It was promised by the APNU+AFC during the General and Regional Elections Campaign. The aim is to allow local democracy to survive and for local people to develop their villages by being in control, by making decisions towards and governing locally. But at this NDC and most of the PPP-controlled NDCs in Region Five, this is not the case.

While the NDC body was put there by the villagers, we expect the best from them when it comes to representation and development. Irrespective of race, religion, status, political affiliation, etc., they were put there to do the best at all times in ensuring that there is progress and development in the most positive manner.

At the Bath\Woodley Park NDC, that is not the case. This NDC seems to lack the basics in what development and process mean for the residents. They are bent on advice from the PPP organiser at Bath Freedom House. By the way, this man cannot say what must happen in his township of New Amsterdam or cannot advise any of the PPP-controlled NDCs or municipalities in Region Six, where he lives. But the PPP put him after he could not find favour in his very own region to run the Region Five Freedom House and corrupted the minds of the PPP people within Region Five, so that they will not see far as to where progress is happening.

The said NDC had rented the Bath Community Centre Ground for a Public Show (Clash Of The Titans). The show was held last Saturday 2nd July, 2016 and I heard it was a huge success. I am not against such a show, at least the people of Berbice had an opportunity of witnessing a fantastic show after a long time and moreover to take out their families. The organisers and promoters by the way rented the said venue for a very huge sum, (because normally for a one-day cricket competition it would cost the promoter $50,000.00 + security deposit) and also give security deposits in case of damage to the ground\venue.

What I am against is what will happen to the venue now that Clash of The Titans is gone. The ground was in a very good state before the preparations started for the show (pictures included). We all know that the rain is falling in and out and sometimes very hard. But the people at this NDC do not seem to know that the rain has been falling at least every morning and during the day in the said area for the past months. But no, they don’t care about the welfare of the people of Bath, so they allow the promoters to damage the ground (picture included).

Now that the ground is badly damaged, the youths cannot use the ground to play their cricket or any sport whatsoever. This ground was one of the best grounds in West Berbice, but the management of the NDC seems not to want it to be that way. The NDC must now come forward and repair the damage to the ground as early as possible.

As a resident of the area and a Regional Councillor, I will not encourage the government to spend money on repairing the ground when rents and deposits were collected by the NDC to do so. Only recently that said ground benefited from the government sports ground subvention and also before the elections,the MMA\ADA spent lots of money fixing the ground.

As a regional representative, I am calling on the relevant authorities to please look into the work of this NDC, because I truly think its aim is to stifle development within the area (it’s mostly a PPP- controlled area ) because the APNU+AFC is in government, so then they will cast the blame on the government.

Regards

Abel Seetaram
APNU+AFC
Regional Councillor
Region Five