Morawhanna, the riverain community that lies along the bank of the Aruka River, has virtually been “abandoned by the government,” PNCR-1G MP Desmond Fernandes told the National Assembly on Monday, as the government and opposition traded charges on whether promises by the administration have been fulfilled.
Fernandes, the PNCR-1G representative for Region One, during his presentation on the 2011 budget, addressed several issues affecting residents in the region. He said, “There are many things happening in the region and there are things which we would like to see happen.”
On Morawhanna, Fernandes noted that during high and low tides, the community, which relies predominantly on fishing and crab-catching, is usually under water—a situation which has obtained for some time.
Persaud said that sometime ago, the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) ceased operations at Morawhanna and he noted that the move saw several persons in the area facing the bread-line. “Who would want to live in an area that floods during high tide?” he questioned, while saying that many persons would like to move from the area but they are unable to do so because of limited options for relocation.
Fernandes noted that the North West ferry MV Kimbia continues to ply the Georgetown/Kumaka route although the aged vessel experiences operational issues frequently. He said that when the ruling party was campaigning at the 1992 general elections, it had promised the region a new vessel. According to him, the party stated then that “the ferry was an old spare ship.” Fernandes noted that the government stated some years ago that a new roll on- roll-off ferry would have been sourced from China but he noted that that promise has yet to materialise. Late last year, the government signed an agreement with the Chinese for the construction of two new ferries but the vessels will be to serve the Essequibo River routes served by the Transport and Harbours Department.
Recently, Fernandes said, the regional administration constructed a culvert across the Kumaka roadway and it blocked access to the nearby Kumaka Creek. He noted that “a lot of Amerindians use that creek, people use it to get to their communities…if they want to go to fish and hunt they would use that creek.” He added that the administration needed to address the issues facing the region and, according to him, such intervention would improve the lives of many residents.
Building on promises
Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran, during his presentation, stated that government continues to build on its promises made when the PPP/C took office years ago. He said that one should note the admiration which the government received from the Private Sector Commission (PSC) following the presentation of this year’s budget. He said that he interprets the PSC stance on the budget as being that the body “approves of the contents of the budget as presented,” which differs from AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan’s take during Monday’s debate.
“This is a budget of transformation and reform,” Ramsaran noted, while adding that there are certain key things that will be done in the coming months. He said that infrastructural works across the country are resonating positively among Guyanese and he also made reference to government’s One Laptop Per Family programme.
He said that several avenues are being pursued in the area of health—an aspect of development which he noted is being used as a tool to fight poverty.
“The sector has been so successful sometimes we find certain criticisms in the media which in itself allows us to feel proud,” he noted, while saying that the criticisms are sometimes “ill–advised” and “inaccurate” but that “the impact shows we are pinching somebody’s nerves or bunions.”
Ramsaran also responded to recent criticisms in sections of the media on the state of the C.C. Nicholson Hospital at Cove and John, East Coast Demerara. He said that the hospital has performed well in recent times and he listed several figures to support this conclusion, including the over 1000 patients served recently. Of that number, 129 were attended to at the ante-natal clinic at the medical institution.
Ramsaran reiterated that the administration will continue to address various aspects of development, and he added that it is building on what was created over the years in fashioning a Guyana for tomorrow.
Vanessa Kissoon, the PNCR-1G’s Region 10 representative, highlighted several issues facing that region, and in particular the education system. She stated that the people of Region 10 “still see no hope in the 2011 budget as the government continues to make promises.” She added that
“we all know the old adage rings out, a promise is a comfort to a fool but the people of Region 10 are not fools.”
She said that many youths, single mothers and teachers in the region appear to experience hardships while many “still don’t get value for money.” Kissoon stated that much has been said during other presentations on Monday about schools, such as the provision of furniture for schools in Region 3. However, she noted that while the government is promoting child-friendly classrooms, several issues continue to affect schools in her region, including crowded classrooms as well as the shortage of furniture.
Kissoon noted that the New Silver City Secondary School made a request two years ago for furniture but to date the school has received none.
She said too that the McKenzie High School received a quantity of furniture recently but “it was only for primary school children.” She said that the furniture fell apart in less than a month. Kissoon noted that the schools and public buildings in the region needed to be upgraded.
