Ever since the Municipal and Districts Councils Act of 1969 was promulgated, the sugar industry had begun addressing the prospect of ‘estate communities’ (then described as extra-nuclear housing areas) cum annexis, being absorbed into local government jurisdictions.
One agenda item of the discussion was the future ownership and use of estate controlled community centres. It was noted that Section 301 (sub-section 7: a) – c) of the act provided for the administration of all recreational facilities to rest within the powers of the district council.
At some later stage these facilities were vested in the respective councils where the latter existed.
It is unclear what (legal) mechanism was utilised to effect the vestment. However, by 1991, shortly after Booker Tate had assumed management of the sugar industry, the latter as part of the strategy to encourage absent workers back into the industry, it was decided to resuscitate the moribund community development programme and to retrieve most, if not all, of the recreational facilities, rehabilitate the infrastructure and generally restore active participatory management of various projects and programmes by workers and other residents of the respective communities.
More recent records should indicate how the re-transitioning from council to estate was facilitated.
It now turns out that in 2009 the circle is once more being completed, with the announcement to ‘re-vest’ community centres within the powers of district councils, where they correctly should be. In any case the story told is that the facilities are utilised much less by sugar workers than by other club members.
GuySuCo projects that the ‘turnover’ will result in total savings of hundreds of millions of Guyana dollars. Hopefully the corporation will continue to discharge its corporate social responsibility towards the respective communities by, for example, sponsorships of approved sports activities, and contributing appropriately to identified community projects.
It should however be incumbent upon each district council to formulate at least a five-year strategic development plan for examination by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and insist that a relevant proportion of rates paid by their largest corporate citizen be allocated specifically to the maintenance of the community centres, annexes (if any) and related infrastructure.
Yours faithfully,
E B John
