– says Minister Edghill

LOCAL community leadership is not as strong as it should be and the Local Government Election (LGE) is of vital importance to the people of Guyana since it gives them an opportunity to elect a person who has a genuine love and interest for the people in their constituency/community, according to Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

According to him, “one of the weaknesses that we have discovered is that the leadership at the local level of the community is not what it should be. If there is no adequate local leadership, it puts pressure on the central government; that means that the central government will have to address everything, such as matters at the community level, and the matters that can be addressed at the regional level will have to come to the central government as well. “

He also related that LGE is a matter of getting the right people to administer the affairs of the communities throughout Guyana. “That simply means that we want people to ensure that the recreational grounds are in order and the children of the communities are taken care of, to ensure that the garbage is collected, to ensure that the canals, drains, and trenches are well-kept and that people are not affected by floods.

Minister Edghill has given reassurances that if citizens elect persons with the requisite vision when they cast their ballots at the LGE, then all communities countrywide will experience rapid transformation.

In highlighting the sentiments he shared with the people of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), along with communities that include Pepper Street, Glasgow, Glasgow Housing Scheme, Stanley Town, New Amsterdam, Norton and Victor Streets, Lodge, Linden and the community of Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara, Minister Edghill noted all communities need proper representation.

He advised them to elect candidates who have a vision for their community, represent the people, ensure their needs are met, and support a progressive platform offered by PPP/C, rather than persons who prioritise their own interests.

According to him, he is especially impressed with the residents of Buxton. The minister said that the false narrative that APNU is trying to paint about the people of certain communities cannot work any longer.

He noted that “I have admired the way Buxtonians conducted themselves. We were able to keep a meeting in Buxton; PPP/C flags are up and flying, and there was not a single destruction. The people proudly wore their red t-shirts; they stood and listened, and I am proud to say that Buxtonians and all the communities are positively receiving our messages.”

Minister Edghill: “We are delivering on our promises and when the meetings were over, several residents engaged me and expressed how grateful they were for the work that the government is doing. Buxtonians and all the communities that I have visited expressed how pleased they were about the intervention of the PPP/C and the presence of Government Ministers in engagements with them, on a one-on-one level. They are happy because many of these residents said that they have never seen any APNU member in their communities.”

He also pointed out to residences of Buxton that a four-lane highway will be going through their community from the railway embankment and there will be an industrial development not far from the village which will increase the opportunities for employment for the young people in Buxton as well as neighbouring communities.

According to the Minister, the initiative will also cause the property value to rise and people will also be interested in renting since many people will want to live close to their worksite.

Apart from that, Minister Edghill explained to the people that there will be endless opportunities in the oil and gas sector and the government will need over 1000 certified welders. He stated that the government will also need persons to go to Port Mourant in Region Six (East Berbice Corentyne) to work on the school that will be established there.

Minister Edghill said “with the great work that the Minister of Agriculture was doing, and knowing that Buxtonians are agricultural minded people with a number of farmers in the community, the PPP/C government plans to open up the back lands and provide a living that is based upon the villagers’ lives being improved by making money.”

Finally, the Public Works Minister said that there was still a lot more work to be done, but the task was for the government to have a reliable and competent team that Central government can work with so that the young people of all races can get meaningfully engaged in jobs and constructive activities that will help in the betterment of their lives and their future.
Minister Edghill and other government officials also met with the people of Cummings Lodge, the corner of Bent Street and Louisa Row, and Turningpoint Georgetown. There, they listened to the concerns of the residents and reassured them that the government of Guyana would ensure that the quality of their lives and that of the communities are improved under their governance.

Minister Edghill said that his meetings with the residents of the communities thus far have been very productive.