Residents of Lethem yesterday strongly opposed the installation of an Interim-Management Committee (IMC) to replace the Ireng/Sawariwau Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) but had mixed views about whether the current body is capable of effectively carrying out its duties.
Officials of the Local Government Ministry have been visiting communities across the country after receiving petitions from residents regarding the functions of NDCs and Friday’s meeting at the NDC Office in Lethem drew the attention of a number of residents.
“People in Lethem would have a problem with an IMC installed because if you have a management like that you would have corrupt people, you would have a corrupt accountant, a corrupt team and you would have collisions between them and it will not work,” Tedford Mitchell, a resident of Lethem for seven years yesterday told Stabroek News while he stood on the picket line. The man added that while the NDC was doing a good job, it can be improved and with the elections, this can be made possible if new people are added to the body. “Local government elections are imperative, down with IMC, it will fail,” he chanted.
Meanwhile, Dayan James, a young man indicated that he is only attending the meeting to ask the representatives of the Local Government Ministry, Commissioner of Inquiry Rabindra Datt Prashad and Municipal Services Officer Floyd Patterson, the reason why the government is opting to replace the NDC.
“The NDC is a very small body that is trying to do a lot of work for this community that is growing really quick. I think they should have the elections and I also think that this NDC should be supported,” he said.
James added that many residents of Lethem are ignorant of what an IMC and NDC are and that the first step should be consultation among these persons. “If people are informed on what NDC does and what it is, what they represent and what they are trying to do, then we can support them. If we work together, I’m pretty sure that we can solve the problems,” he added.
Among the texts on placards residents held up were: “PPP/C want power through de back door”, “Elections put in de NDC and elections must put them out. We want elections now” and “The so-called rich influence decisions in Lethem”.
Inside the NDC office, Chairman Terrence Boston gave a lengthy presentation about what he has been able to accomplish since the introduction of the body in 1994 to present. This caused some amount of disorder in the meeting with some individuals pointing out that more focus needs to be placed on current issues instead of time being spent striding through the past.
Boston blamed the inefficiencies outlined by residents on being provided with inadequate funds. Some of the residents raised issues such as the improper disposal of garbage which Lawrence Chung said serves as a serious environmental issue. “People are dumping near the airstrip and the garbage is attracting carrion crows and this is hazardous to the aircrafts landing,” the man said.
He explained that he had pointed out the areas to Boston during a personal visit to the sites with him but no action has since been taken. “I thought the NDC woulda do something by now or send warning letters to the people who are dumping but this does not happen,” he said.
Airstrip
Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) member, Lennox Ramsahoye, noted that the tractor and trailer which were purchased since 1996 by the NDC can be used more effectively and impartially. He added that the area that was designated for garbage disposal is not well used either since persons find it easier to dump in the passage leading to the site.
Also questioned was the maintenance of buildings, specifically the Lethem Public Market and the Sports Complex, which are controlled by the NDC and are said to be in a deplorable state.
Ramsahoye raised several other issues that needed attention in Lethem such as animal nuisance, the blockage of alleyways, the need for preserving the Moco Moco Creek and the temporary permission that was given to stall holders to operate at the Lethem airstrip. “It is supposed to be temporary but I see some structures gone up there that don’t look temporary to me. This airstrip is the only alternative for if jets are unable to land at Timehri so why is permission being granted to put up things out there?” the man asked.
Boston, in his presentation, explained that the Regional Democratic Council is an agent of central government and as such, monies are given to that council. “I’m hearing that all this money going into Boston pocket but that is not so, it goes to the Regional Democratic Council… They get money for roads, bridges, health, education, agriculture and all these services that the regional democratic council performs on behalf of central government. The NDC operates differently. The NDC is an agent of the people and as such, our monies to run this office and to provide services, come from the people,” he said.
$3M budget
The chairman explained that two years after the NDC took office in 1994, an evaluation exercise was conducted to commence the collection of rates and taxes to provided services to the people. However, this was never approved. He explained that central government gives to all neighbourhood councils $3 million annually for their various operations. “You can imagine what that was in 1994 to today? The spending power of $3 million today? And that is the money we are still using, although it is small. No one can doubt me that every year we are cleaning this community, we are trying to do something on the roads. Our responsibility is not to do the roads but to help maintain it… The RDC gets millions of dollars for roads,” Boston posited.
He further stated that to effectively carry out their duties and to deliver on the many requests of residents, more assistance is needed. “We need massive intrusion of funds. We cannot operate on a $3 million budget to complete all these things… At our meetings here, we don’t talk politics, we talk about things we can do to make our community a better place,” he added.
Boston said the NDC has so far been able to organize a garbage collection service in Lethem after requests he had made in 1996 for funds to purchase a tractor and trailer for the provision of this service. Also, he said, the burial ground was cleaned and extended to accommodate the different religious burials.
With financial help from residents, Boston said, they were able to build a playground for the children of the community and a library to assist in educating the people of Lethem. He explained that the market place for which he had made representation for is currently falling apart. He noted that assistance is needed for this specific area because although stallholders are paying their rent, the rentals are not high since the NDC is trying to help competing with outside businesses easy for vendors.
Carlton Peter Beckles, another resident, insisted that he will not allow the NDC to be illegally removed. “You know what a public servant told me, he said that Lethem is one of the faster unregulated developments taking place, a senior public servant told me that. If that person can observe that we have unregulated development, don’t you think the NDC is interested? But their hands are tied. They cannot operate independently,” he said.
However, Beckles pointed out that NDC should be faulted for not frequently providing public information but noted that they have done well taking into consideration the limited finances, the high cost of living and the failure of the PPP to hold local government elections after 18 years.
Also sharing his view was Carl Parker, a past councillor of the NDC and a present councillor on the RDC. He opined that the Minister of Local Government has failed in his obligation to the NDC. “The minister has effectively tied the hands of the NDC… We gotta question the motive of the minister. I humbly submit that we the residents of Lethem formally reject a call for the dissolution of this council because a case against this council has not been made,” he stated.
In March this year, an IMC was installed to head the affairs of the Port Kaituma/Arakaka Mathew’s Ridge NDC in a move which was opposed by residents but which the Local Government Ministry found necessary citing petitions which the body received from residents.
The Local Government Ministry recently convened a similar hearing for the Bartica NDC but residents who gathered soundly rebuffed the notion that an IMC should be set up.
