– as he justifies $300M allocation for outreaches

THE government’s multi-ministerial outreaches are crucial to ensuring that the actions of the Administration remain aligned with the needs of the people. This is according to Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, who justified the budgeting of some $300M for the outreaches this year.
The Government’s multi-ministerial outreaches for 2019 kicked off on February 15 when some 19 ministers spread across 28 villages in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) during a three-day period.

Since then, the ministers visited several other regions including Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); and took critical services to the people.

At a post-Cabinet press briefing on Friday, Harmon reminded that the coalition government initiated the outreaches in 2016 having realised that citizens badly craved one-on-one interactions with their ministers and face-to-face information on government services.
During the visits to the regions, the ministers also spread themselves out to various public buildings in the evenings where they conducted meetings to speak on issues of interest to the locations.

Throughout the entire experience, the aim is also to listen to citizens and to take note of their opinions on whether the Government is satisfactorily meeting its mandate.
“It was recognised that there was, in fact, a view (that) people needed to see their government ministers more; they wanted to be in touch with them,” Harmon said.
He added: “When we came in to office we recognised that [there existed] a sort of expectation that was created by the previous administration that only if you see a Minister you can get things done. We have changed that paradigm and what we have done it to move government services to the people and we’ve actually taken government services to all of these new towns themselves.”

The government’s most recent outreach took place on the Essequibo Coast where scores of men, women, youth and elderly people flocked Damon’s Square in Anna Regina to voice their concerns.

The Director-General added that in the planning of its activities the Government ensured that all regions of the country would be visited in keeping with its vision of equity.
“We believe that Article 13 of the Constitution, which speaks about inclusive governance, requires that the persons who govern must listen to the people who they govern, and this is a way of interacting with them to bring them as a part of the decision process.
“We’re now taking the government to the people and therefore they can feel comfortable that decisions are made in their interest, right there on the ground in the communities where they live,” Harmon said.
The next multi-ministerial outreach is planned for Bartica from June18-19.