Residents of Enmore on Thursday asked that the Ministry of Local Government reintroduce the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), with councillors from each political party, in light of the ineffectiveness of the Interim-Management Committee (IMC) that was installed.
“We had a problem with the NDC and then it was changed to the IMC but it has gotten worse. With the previous NDC, it was the PPP members alone so that is why we ask that this time when they bring it back they put councillors from all parties, the AFC, the APNU and the PPP,” one resident, Lenny Singh, told Stabroek News.
He opined that if shared governance is given to the three parties then residents would not have so many problems, since everyone would have some sort of input in the decision-making process.
Outside the Enmore NDC office, several residents gathered and conversed about the hardships they have been faced with since 2009, when the IMC was introduced. They agreed that only persons of a certain status were given simple privileges while the common man would have to take on the responsibility of the IMC.
“Our contention is that these people are not cleaning the drains; we are not getting access to the public utilities like the playfield. Only comrades within the organisation can get permission to use it. We also have a recreation ground but you have to be a party member to be able to go there,” Singh stated.
Anand Persaud, another Enmore resident, added that the arrangement is bad for the community because youths are left with no recreational area and as a result, indulge in illegal activities. “Our youths when they drop off from school them going and smoke dope and that’s why Enmore went from bad to worse. A lot of killing start to happen since then,” he said.
Persaud pointed out that many residents have become frustrated with having to dispose of their own garbage since the IMC does not provide this service to everyone as it is required to. “Only some people garbage is be collected. Sometimes after six months at a time then they coming and collect the garbage. We have to burn or bury,” he added.
The man condemned the Chairman of the IMC, Jainauth Bikari, for all of these issues, and further accused him of using drainage and irrigation (D&I) workers for services at his residence.
A meeting chaired by Minister within the Ministry of Local Government Norman Whittaker was subsequently called and receiving questions were Bikari and Region 4 Chairman Clement Corlette. Bikari denied having instructed workers to uplift only certain residents’ garbage, pointing out that the IMC is a body and that he is not the only person to make decisions within it. He further revealed that on the occasions when D&I workers would visit his home to do works, they were paid separately by him for their services.
‘Not delivering’
Meanwhile, Whittaker pointed out that complaints have been made that NDCs only receive $3M from the government and there is a need to increase this subvention. However, he said, it was never intended that the NDCs will take on the role of the sector ministries; therefore, there should be no need for this.
“They are expected to do the little things that matter. The drains that are clogged, that need clearing… those little things mean a lot to you because when the rain comes, your yard is flooded, your bottom house is flooded and all of these things. They are not expected to dig canals because they don’t have the resources…. The roads, certainly the NDC wasn’t expected to build the roads… they don’t have the machinery, they don’t have the technical support, they don’t have the financial resources to do that but certainly, the road having been constructed by a contractor, the NDC is expected to maintain them. Not wait until the holes become trenches,” Whittaker remarked.
He noted that the garbage collection is also the responsibility of the NDC and suggested that if the allegations made against the body are true, then that is wrong and persons should not be discriminated against in this manner.
“Many of our NDCs have not been delivering the service they ought to deliver. Having said that, I see nothing to congratulate ourselves on,” he said.
Whittaker explained that in instances where the NDCs have not been delivering, there are several factors involved, including the ignorance of residents about the NDCs’ duties and what they have been involved in.
As a result, he said, greater awareness should be raised and he encouraged residents to attend meetings when invited.
“We have to engage the people. Councillors, the first challenge is to reach out to the people,” he urged, adding that there is a perception throughout Guyana that NDCs do little or nothing. He said this perception is borne out of the high expectations of the NDCs.
“In many communities in this country, everything that goes wrong, we blame it on the NDC. For us, it does not matter that there is a sector ministry called the Ministry of Education to deal with education matters. For many, it matters not that there is a sector ministry called the Ministry of Health, or the Ministry of Public Works of the Ministry of Agriculture. We blame it on the NDC and perhaps it’s because the NDC haven’t been reaching out to you enough to let you know what is their mandate…. and very important my friends, what you can do to assist them in order so that they can deliver the services that you want and you expect,” Whittaker said.
The Minister also admitted that in some instances, it’s the council itself that is not proactive enough. He promised residents to write to the IMC officially, addressing the issues and, depending on the response, a decision will be made as to what the next move should be.
