Chairman of Region Seven Gordon Bradford has denied that he offered support to the newly-installed Bartica Interim Management Com-mittee (IMC).
“I wish to categorically state that I did not offer my support for the installation of any IMC over the Bartica NDC, and I was not present at the installation of same, but was invited by the Minister of Local Govern-ment and Regional Development to meet and to give a short address to the members of the newly-installed IMC,” Bradford said in a letter published today in the Stabroek News.
He was responding an article in the Sunday Stabroek headlined ‘Regional Chairman breaks ranks with support for Bartica IMC.’ This newspaper had reported that Bradford had pledged support for the Bartica IMC despite the opposition of his party, APNU, to it.
At the swearing-in of the IMC members, the Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) reported Bradford as assuring the committee that as head of the region he is prepared to work with whichever body is put in place to serve the residents. Subsequently, Public Relations Officer for the IMC, Winston Miller told Stabroek News that Bradford had pledged his full support to the IMC. Attempts to contact Bradford for clarification on his position were futile and even APNU’s representatives were unable to contact him as he was travelling last week.
In his letter, Bradford acknowledged that he said that he was open to working with all stakeholders for the development of Bartica. “I made it clear, in the presence of the Minister and his team and members of staff of the NDC that I, along with the people of Bartica were disappointed and upset that an IMC was being foisted on the backs of the people, and what they needed was local government reform and local government elections so that the people could elect leaders of their choice.
I did say that as Regional Chairman, I am open to working with all stakeholders for the future and orderly development of Bartica,” he said. He added that no prior discussions were held with his office as regards the dissolving of the Bartica NDC and the installing of an IMC.
An enquiry into the operations of the Bartica Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) in March by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development saw residents speaking largely in favour of the NDC and calling instead for local government elections.
However, three weeks ago the Ministry- in what the former NDC chairman Gerald Joseph said was a stealthy move – dissolved the NDC and appointed an IMC.
APNU’s spokesman on Local Government and Regional Development Ronald Bulkan has condemned the installation of the IMC while Opposition leader, David Granger has also spoken out against it. Local government elections have not been held since 1994 and the opposition have been calling for these “overdue” elections to be held.
The government has been holding enquiries on NDCs and has replaced some with IMCs in recent times and APNU has been speaking out against the “surreptitious” removal of NDC’s and installation of IMCs in several areas.
