Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud said the recently installed Ireng/Sawariwau Interim Management Committee (IMC) will be provided with the same annual subvention of $3 million and would be responsible for making its own plans.
The area’s Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) was on Friday last dissolved and an IMC installed, just over a month after Lethem residents protested against the move.
Speaking briefly with Stabroek News yesterday, Persaud affirmed that no additional assistance will be provided to the IMC and when further questioned about the plan of action by the new body, the minister said the IMC will be responsible for that.
The main opposition APNU has repeatedly accused the government of imposing partisan IMCs on communities. APNU MP Ronald Bulkan, who is the coalition’s spokesman on local government and regional development, has charged that the administration has been installing IMCs comprising largely of hand-picked loyalists.
Former chairman of the NDC, Terrence Boston, at a meeting in May with officials of the Local Government Ministry had insisted that the shortfall lay in the lack of finances, explaining that since 1994, the $3 million subvention was never increased and the worth over the years has drastically been reduced. “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,” Boston had complained.
He had 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 [infusion] 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.
Permanent Secretary within the Local Government Ministry, Collin Croal, yesterday told Stabroek News that whether it is the IMC or the NDC, the same management principles would be applied. He explained that the body is expected to only carry out maintenance work and has specifically been directed to utilise the annual subvention for this purpose.
Croal further stated that the IMC would only be expected to look after internal roads of the area, while the Public Works Ministry is responsible for major roadways. Also, he said, it is assisted by the Ministry of Agriculture with drainage work.
GINA reported last evening that the members of the Ireng/Sawariwau IMC are Alton Primus, Benita Ignatius, Kenrick Nickram, Roger King, Alfred Ramsaran, Alex Charlie, Tishana Winter, Lennox Ramsahoye, Indira Singh, Richard Rennie, Megan Thomas, and Lawrence Chung.
