Dear Sir,

THE much heralded Local Government Elections were touted to be the changing point for residents in Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, and the dawn of a new beginning. Residents living in Constituency Number 5 voted for a young APNU+AFC councillor who campaigned on a platform of “Improved drainage/irrigation, Enhanced Public Infrastructure, Stimulating Job Creation, Enticing Investors, Improving Public Health and Security, Promoting Sports, the Arts, Culture and Empowering Youths, especially those in the Ghetto.” A massive billboard bearing the candidate’s picture was set up, while smaller leaflets were distributed to residents with these promises.

Mr. Editor, we recently read in the national newspaper, a Georgetown councillor for Constituency Number 2 highlighting his achievements and we would be very grateful if the councillor of Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, can do the same. He was the only APNU+AFC councillor to be elected in the constituency in Rose Hall Town, Corentyne and our hopes were high that he would set an example for the next election due in 2019. Sadly, he has been a big disappointment to the people who voted for him on the basis of his promises. Not one commitment has been fulfilled and over the last two years, we have not heard nor seen him in his constituency. The situation in this closely knitted constituency has gotten worse with impassable roads, poor security lighting at nights, huge bushes all around, regular flooding whenever it rains, garbage all over the place, while not one single programme or project has been organised to empower youths as was promised during the campaign.

What is worrying about the situation is that this elected councillor is not doing anything for his constituency, finds the time and energy to constantly attack residents who are making huge contributions to the township and get involved in numerous organisations across Berbice. He has somehow found himself involved in cricket, volleyball, athletics and horse racing, among other activities. The popular talk is that he is a failure at everything he does, with not one simple achievement in his column. The councillor attends council meetings at his own pleasure and is known not to sit down for the entire meeting and collects his $10 000.00 stipend each month. The Mayor of Rose Hall Town, a concerned resident, does not collect his monthly stipend; instead, he uses it to develop his township. We would like to advise the councillor from Constituency Number 5 to do likewise.

Mr. Editor, we would like the councillor to answer the following questions based on his election promises.
a) What events has he organised to promote Sports, the Arts and Culture in his constituency?
b) What has he done to empower youths and those from the ghetto? He has described himself as the spokesperson for those in the ghetto, but apart from talking what has he done?
c) Which investor has he enticed to invest in his area and how much sponsorship has he raised for any programme or project?
d) What has he done to improve public health and security for residents as promised?
e) What programme has he organised to stimulate job creation for youths and can he name one youth for whom he got a job, or recommended for a job?
f) What public infrastructure has he enhanced?
g) Why are our drains full of bushes and garbage everywhere when he promised us to improve drainage and also promised better garbage disposal?
h) How much in financial stipends has he collected from the Town Council for his non- performance and is it true that he took three months leave of absence from the Council and still collected his stipends?
i) Since he seemed to know better than everyone else how to run organisations, why did his one-man club known as the Rose Hall Town Athletics Club disappear after a few months?

We would like to appeal to the leadership of APNU+AFC to recall this non-performing councillor and to make sure that at the next elections, they select people who talk less and are more action-oriented. The same councillor and his fellow APNU+AFC councillors owe the Mayor of Rose Hall Town an apology for going on television and accusing him of corruption. When proven wrong they have simply refused to do the correct thing and apologise.

Regards
Names Provided