— youths talk up their plans for LGEs

IN the coming days, Local Government Elections (LGE) will be held for the second time in three years and several young candidates from the hinterland areas want to see that their respective constituencies benefit from their inputs.

At Port Kaituma, Tifnie Daniels, who will be contesting in Constituency Two at the North West District community on behalf of her party, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), told the Guyana Chronicle that she will fight for the needs of her constituency which includes the Port Kaituma Compound, Oronoque, Log Pond and a section of the Port Kaituma Main Road.

This is the first time Daniels is participating in the LGEs and she said, “I
think we need a change within the environment.” Daniels, who is participating in the LGEs for the first time, said the area has been stagnated for too long under the current Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC). “The young people need to be more involved, this community needs to improve, so I am there to represent us, the youths,” she said.

Daniels, who was born and raised at Port Kaituma, said she aims to work with all stakeholders if elected to serve. “I am young and into it for the long haul,” she said, noting that she is confident in her potential to get the job done.
She said since her name was announced as a candidate for the APNU, she has received positive feedback from persons in the community.

She noted that there are opposition forces who have been trying to poison the minds of supporters, but she noted that she is confident that the party will gain the support it needs to manage the NDC.

“I think we need to bypass party politics and for this election focus more on the community; it’s more about community development,” Daniels said with an air of confidence. “We should all work together,” she said. Improved drainage and roads within the area are among the issues which she said needs to be addressed.
She pointed out however that the government is undertaking major road projects in the area and the plans of the NDC should include proper maintenance of the roads when works are completed.

Daniels said Port Kaituma is a business community, and as such, persons should work together to improve its image. “My aim is to better my community because it’s my hometown,” she said.

MABARUMA
Chris Phang, another young candidate at this year’s LGEs, is vying for a post on the Mabaruma Town Council. He is representing Constituency Two (Mabaruma/Barimanobo) at this year’s elections as a candidate for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). He also believes that the elections are more about community development.

Among his immediate plans is to ensure his constituency receives potable water. “I’m not far from the Town Hall and we are not getting pipe water. My entire village,” he said.
He said another matter which he is concerned about is the historical “Kissing Rocks” site at Mabaruma which he noted may soon be in the hands of a businessman. Reports are that parcels of land close to the site were sold to the businessman from Kumaka.
Phang said the effect which access to the site may have on the people in the area, especially those living in the Aruka Mouth area, needs to be considered as well as the impact ownership may have on local tourism.

“Once it is privately developed, it will be taken away from us the people,” Phang noted.
Phang said the issue of jobs– especially provisions in large infrastructural contracts for locals to gain employment– is another issue he plans to talk up. “I am sure we have the same skills and there are people in the area that can do the very job,” he said. He said the issue of security, mainly the need for additional police patrols, is also another matter of concern which he plans to address.

MAHDIA
Harley Joseph is contesting at Mahdia, Guyana’s newest town and he will be representing the Alliance For Change (AFC) at Constituency One, which encapsulates the Euwang/Central Mahdia area.

“I wanted to be part of the elections and focus on a lot of issues; it is more about youth empowerment,” he said. Joseph said too the elections “have nothing to [do with] people passing orders from Fort Street, Kingston.”

In a frank tone, Joseph noted that issues relating to healthcare; the need for information technology hubs; educational programmes and a trade school at Mahdia, are among the topics he plans to bring to the table once elected to serve.
He believes too that the town council will have to find means to generate funds; and he believes that taking business to Mahdia by connecting the area through building a road link to the Pamela Landing can help to increase business prospects for residents.

He said too that the gold-producing town is also in need of a commercial bank, since many persons transact business at the town on a daily basis with gold or cash.
“Mahdia becoming a town is a big occasion for us; and while a lot of people do not fully understand, as a resident, I can relate to what is needed here,” he said.

Joseph said too that LGEs present an ideal opportunity for Mahdians to promote and develop the town. “We got a chance to do it for ourselves.”
Local government elections are scheduled for November 12, 2018. On Friday last the disciplined services voted as the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is preparing to undertake the second LGEs since the March 18, 2016 polls.