IN any democracy, Government meeting with the people, listening to their views and concerns and making a concerted effort to help them improve their stations in life, constitutes key measures in the scheme of good governance.

Even though bigger in size, Guyana is smaller in population compared to some of our top sister Caricom member states, and with 90 per cent of the population concentrated on the coastland, frequent interactions should be a norm. Being a small nation and one which does not wield any great influence, developments in the international arena can negatively impact Guyana, and the Government must be able to communicate these implications to the people.

Communicating through the press has been the traditional way of getting information to the people, but meeting and grounding with the people is a means that should not be placed on the back burner but should be made a priority. Not so recently, the government has been fanning out to different parts of the country, listening to the views, concerns and complaints of the people and has been offering solutions of its own. This is a most welcomed step in the right direction.

Time and time again, governments in general make decisions, but sometimes without much consultation with the people and this has been a main source of their discontent, especially when they are adversely affected by decisions made. Frequent interactions with the people provide the avenue to alleviate some of these ill-feelings and open up a pathway to build genuine relationships and expand on gains made. This sort of rapport cannot be overstated as people generally, when aggravated, gravitate to persons who would listen to them and an absence of the government in the fields can prove to be an uphill task in effectively getting its message across.

People, regardless of where they sit on the fence, have concerns on matters that affect them, their families and communities. Even though Local Government Elections were held about two years ago after more than two decades, many are still concerned about the state of drainage, roads and bridges in their communities.

Most of these issues which should be dealt with at the regional level are not getting the attention they deserve. The manner in which their schools are managed, the operations of health centres in their communities and the negligence of district and regional officials in addressing issues that affect them are still pressing concerns of the people. In some cases, residents, in their frustration, have given up hope on regional officials bringing any relief to their plight and feel they have no one to whom they could air their grievances.

Government ministers visiting communities and listening to the people will certainly restore some confidence in the people, while at the same time giving them (the ministers) first-hand information on the ground. By connecting with the grassroots, it also gives them a fair sense of how to respond to issues raised. For some time now, the government has been calling for more persons to get into entrepreneurship and agro-processing.

While this call has been welcomed by many farmers and young people, as much as they do have an interest in getting into business, the majority lack the finance required to do so. This challenge is compounded by inadequate information on accessing financing and training. These are matters which can be raised and discussed in some detail during the ministerial outreaches, since entrepreneurship is a key step in empowerment of the grassroots and beating back rural unemployment. Government also do not have solutions for all the challenges of the country, and it is important that the masses are regularly engaged. The importance of the ministerial fan-outs cannot be over-elaborated.