–Min. Felix urges Anna Regina residents

MINISTER of Citizenship Winston Felix has said the government has taken careful note that some Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) are not serving the communities under their care as they should.

He made this observation during a community meeting with Anna Regina residents at the CV Nunes Primary School, on the Essequibo Coast.
Reminding his audience of the “massive debt and instability” inherited by the Coalition Government, he said it will take time to “clean up”. Minister Felix said changes and improvements are occurring because of President David Granger’s firm belief “that everyone is entitled to a better life.”

The minister explained that this will not be achieved by “a speech or click of the finger, but rather an accumulation of efforts by the government to improve the services it offers.”
He said that several things have to be done to make the experiences of the citizenry more comfortable. One of these, he noted, was the return of constitutional Local Government Elections, which is key to ensuring better self-governance and control, as opposed to the implementation of Interim management Committees (IMCs) favoured by the previous administration.

“We want you to take part in the management of your own communities,” the minister underscored. Residents were also encouraged to go out and vote, since it was their democratic right to do so . “If you do not go out and vote,” he said, “you might get someone as the head of your NDC who may not be working in your interest, as we have seen… The fact that your none-vote reduced the numbers, you may not get the leadership you want. When elections come around, go and vote!”

The minister met the Anna Regina residents during an interactive session on Saturday. The meeting was one of several hosted by government ministers across Essequibo. Issues raised by residents, some of which date back to 2012, included land/house lot purchasing challenges, persons rearing animals without permission next to homes, the need to reorganise the vendors on the Anna Regina market road and equitable distribution of streetlights. Whilst some of the issues were advised upon on-the-spot, others will be forwarded to the relevant officials for redress. (DPI)