– President says as he commissions play park at Linden

PRESIDENT David Granger said that the improvements being observed in communities across Guyana are direct dividends of Local Government Elections (LGE), which were held for the first time in two decades in March 2016.

This important process, he said, has led to a democratic renewal that has sparked hope and enlivened communities that were slowly becoming mere dormitories.

“Local Government Elections have moved us from despair to a democratic regime. We can sit, discuss and determine how our communities can be governed. We now have the option of attracting friends to add private contribution to the community,” the Head of State said, as he commissioned a play park at Victory Valley Community Centre ground located at Wismar, Linden, on Friday. The play park was developed and outfitted by private citizens.

The President recalled his struggles for LGE when he was opposition leader and noted that these elections have paved the way for creation of new towns with vibrant municipalities, whose mayors and councillors are responding to the needs of the people. He reminded too, that when he first got into office in 2015, one of the first things he did was to change the name of the Ministry of Local Government to the Ministry of Communities, because citizens must understand that they have to live together in communities, which cannot be governed from the top.

Most of the towns in Guyana are located at waterfronts and the President urged that these areas be developed and enhanced as green spaces with the planting of trees, solar lights and other amenities, so that citizens can enjoy a better quality of life. “This little park here today symbolises empowerment… I see this play park as the first step in opening new parks in more communities… Every constituency in Guyana should have a park like this, because what better thing can we do than watch our children have clean fun,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Social Protection, Ms. Amna Ally in her remarks, informed the audience that in 2017 during a ministerial outreach in Wismar, residents of Victory Valley requested a recreational park for their children. “We are here to deliver on that promise. This is how this coalition works… We interface with our people; we hear their needs and deliver once it is practicable. The Ministry of Social Protection is mandated to oversee the welfare of children and so we will always respond to those needs. We will work to ensure that the needs of our children, regardless of where they come from, are met,” she said.

Minister Ally noted that for far too long, communities in Linden were neglected by the former administration. “This government has done more for the people of Linden in three years than what the PPP [People’s Progressive Party] did in 23 years,” she said.

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ms. Simona Broomes, Regional Chairman, Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice (Region 10), Mr. Rennis Morian and Member of Parliament, Mr. Jermaine Figueira were also present at the event. (Ministry of the Presidency)