Dear Editor,
The long awaited visit to Region Two by First Vice President and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo took place on Saturday, December 5. Of course he was accompanied by Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan and a number of senior government officials from various ministries. At the head table also was Regional Chairman Davenand Ramdatt and Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson, and as expected Regional Vice Chairman Juliet Coonjah was there.
The Anna Regina Multilateral School auditorium, the venue of the meeting, was full to capacity, but notable absentees were the Regional Democratic Councillors from the opposition PPP and other local government Officials from the municipality and the five NDCs.
It is important to say that prior to the May 11, 2015 elections when the PPP held the administrative authority of the country, any such or similar visit by the President, the Prime Minister and/or ministers of the PPP/C government, the then opposition councillors from APNU and the AFC had always graced these occasions with their presence once invited, whether by way of the public address system or by way of correspondence from the REO’s office. I am not sure if the councillors and other local government officials received letters of invitation, but what I do know is that the public address system was used to invite residents of the entire region. I strongly believe that these officials should have been there, especially when the RDC, NDC, municipality, and Minister Ronald Bulkan were slated to address the gathering.
However, with the above being said, the Prime Minister was his usual self; he did not disappoint. He touched on every aspect of the people’s life in the region ‒ the rice industry, education, health, transportation ‒ and when he spoke about the contentious and ridiculous claim made by Venezuela to our Essequibo, and the illegal and provocative attitude they are displaying towards us, the crowd stood up and applauded him, because we know it was because of envy and greed and bullyism that that claim was made.
Minister Bulkan touched on every area of local government and the importance of the elections to be held on the 15th March next year.
The Minister of Agriculture also addressed the gathering and assured them that despite the economic sabotage that is perpetrated against us by the Venezuelan government, the rice industry, with the effluxion of time, is going to become both viable and more profitable.
I now say that all the utility service providers were fully represented at the meeting, also all the various ministry representatives were present. The Prime Minister gave us the assurance that more of this type of meeting would be held and I am sure again he will not disappoint.
Yours faithfully,
Archie W Cordis
Former AFC Councillor
Region Two
