By Jeff Trotman
APNU member of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) for Region Ten, Charles Sampson has suggested that councillors boycott statutory meetings of the council to register their disgust at the apparent refusal by central government to purchase new vehicles for the Regional Chairman (RC) and Vice-Chairman (VC).
Sampson made the suggestion after RC Sharma Solomon disclosed that the Region has spent over $6 million on the rental of a car for him although the region’s annual budget had included provisions for the purchase of vehicles for him and the VC. “That is how ridiculous it is. It is about $200,000 a month,” Solomon said as he reiterated that $6 million was spent on the rental of a car for his use from September 2013 to January 2015. He also stated that over a million dollars was spent on a vehicle he formerly used and which now is not in working condition.
According to Solomon, the expense is no fault of the Region’s administration since it had made provision in the budget for the purchases by the government through the Ministry of Local Government.
“What is happening to the chairman and vice-chairman with respect to vehicles is good,” Sampson said. “Chairman, if we are getting problems, let us take some drastic action. I feel it is disrespect to the chairman and vice-chairman, two principal officers of this RDC that they don’t have vehicles to do their work. We can’t accuse people of not going here and not going there if they don’t have vehicles. It affects the work of the Works Committee and other things that people complain about in the administration. It’s a shame that this council renting a vehicle for the regional chairman since 2012. If we had bought a new vehicle it would have come duty-free. And if it means we got to boycott the council meeting, we must send a proper message out there,” he asserted.
Stressing that Region Ten is approximately 6000 square miles, Sampson reiterated that it is a shame that the RC does not have a vehicle that is provided by the Region. Sampson also said that the Region should get rid of other vehicles if the maintenance costs of those vehicles are too high.
Sampson – the chairman of the Region’s Works Committee – said that many times he would like to inspect projects and do other work in outlying areas but no vehicle is available. Stressing that there is inadequate transportation for the Region’s officers by road and river, Sampson said that when purchasing vehicles for Region Ten, thought should be given to four-wheel drive vehicles because of the terrain of the Region.
AFC councillor Audwin Rutherford said that he does not agree with the boycott suggestion because although the budgetary allocation has been ignored by the administration, he is guided by good sense and he feels that the administration is not aware of the need “because nobody in their right mind would allow something like that to happen.”
The VC Byron Lewis said that he has been renting a vehicle but in December, he was told that there was no money available for rental of vehicles for him to go into sub-Region Two.
