The Bartica Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) had been dissolved and an Interim Management Committee (IMC) installed despite opposition by some residents at a Local Government Ministry enquiry held in the township in March.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) reported on Saturday that in keeping with the Local Government Act, Chapter 28:02, officials of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development on May 24 formally dissolved the Bartica NDC and set up a 15-member IMC.
GINA reported that 13 of the 15 members: Winston Miller, Ovid Benjamin, Edward Persaud, Clairmont Chase, Sandrine Harris, Shaneza Ramnauth, Trudy Nelson, Stephen Bell, Sookdeo Singh, Shatto Samuels, Clarence Bell, Nalini Barker and Kirk Skeete took their oath of office before Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Ganga Persaud, Permanent Secretary Collin Croal and Region Seven Chairman Gordon Bradford at the Bartica NDC office.
The remaining two members, Haniff Khan and Nirjan Roopnarine are to be sworn in later. GINA said that the decision to disband the council and install an IMC came following a recommendation of a Commission of Enquiry requested by the residents of Bartica. Barticians were consulted on the nomination of the names for the IMC members and from 31 put forth; the 15 IMC members were selected, GINA said.
Support
Benjamin leads the IMC with Stephen Bell as his deputy and Miller as the Public Relations Officer. Yesterday, Miller told Stabroek News that the IMC has received support from the community. “We’re getting the support from the citizens…the business community has vowed to support us,” he said adding that Bradford and the Regional Executive Officer have also pledged their full support.
Miller said that the IMC will start work immediately and among the first activities will be the cleaning and flushing out of the drains. They also plan to push for the dump site and hope to have it open very early, he said. In addition, they will work to ensure that electricity and water are restored to the Bartica market and clean the surroundings.
According to Miller, it was only three A Partnership for National Unity representatives at the inquiry who were there “railing off and talking a lot of nonsense” who opposed an IMC. “The whole of Bartica happy about it,” he said yesterday. He said that the NDC was not accounting for money. “The auditors went in and they found discrepancies,” he declared.
He said that residents have complained a lot about the NDC with regards to many issues such as clogged drains, the non-collection of garbage and “rickety stalls all over the road.” They wanted change, he said.
Further, Miller said, the NDC has not been accountable. He said that they collected revenue every day from various sources such as the sand-pit which these days sees about 25 truckloads coming out per day at $2000 per load while push cart vendors and roadside stalls pay $4000 per day and there are also the market and arcade rentals, the fees for the regatta site stalls among other sources.
“They collect money from all of that and they never got money,” he said. He questioned where the money is going.
He said that the NDC claimed that it has over 30 workers but when checks were made, there were only about 16 employees. “They have phantom workers,” he said adding that “they never have money to do anything” but are collecting revenue every day. “We’re gonna take that same money and we’re gonna show that it can do things for Bartica,” he said.
At the inquiry in March, some Bartica residents spoke against the dissolution of the NDC and called for long-awaited Local Government elections to be speeded up. Throughout the inquiry, residents said they found that the NDC acted transparently. They deemed the councillors and NDC in general as considerate and several said that the petition which was sent to the minister was not factual. 20 residents had signed a petition requesting an inquiry into the NDC and its dissolution.
According to Commissioner of the inquiry, Puran Persaud, the petition also said that the residents are dissatisfied with the way the business of the NDC was being conducted. Persaud had said that the decision on whether to dissolve the council and appoint an IMC would be based on his findings in his report after the inquiry.
GINA reported that at the swearing-in last week, the Local Government minister expressed thanks to the outgoing Chairman and members of the council and commended the IMC members for having consented to serve and to give of themselves, their time, resources and energies to serve their community.
The committee’s members were warned against trying to blame the prior council for their mistakes. Minister Persaud told the IMC that those councillors who would have served before them would have given service to the best of their ability and as such the IMC must seek to commend them rather than seek to point fingers. He urged that the IMC seek to do the tasks of the NDC without committing the mistakes of the previous council even as they pursue the previous council’s line of success.
GINA said that the Minister also assured the NDC staff that the replacement with the IMC in no way affects their employment and cautioned against taking political stands on issues that are not part of their paid employment.
Bradford in addressing the IMC assured the committee that as head of the region he is prepared to work with whichever body is put in place to serve the residents. He also spoke of the magnitude of the role they have taken on and advised that the IMC members are now servants of the people, GINA reported.
