At least four more towns are expected be established, according to President David Granger, who believes they will lead to economically stable communities and regions.
Speaking on the Ministry of the Presidency’s ‘The Public Interest’ programme, which was broadcast last evening, the President said that it is intended that each of the ten administrative regions has a capital town.
“It is a matter I have raised with the Minister of Communities. There are three coastal regions which do not have capital towns—Region Three, Region Four and Region Five—but I am looking to create three towns in these regions so that every region can have a capital town. So that it can have its own banks, public services, NIS [National Insurance Scheme] offices, GRA [Guyana Revenue Authority] offices [and so on]. Anybody must be able to go to these capital towns and transact their business… all of the government functions which are centralised should be decentralised,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Ministry of the Presidency.
Questioned on why Mahdia has not yet gained township status, after the recent establishment of Bartica, Lethem and Mabaruma as towns, President Granger said there were legal and technical issues associated with the community becoming a town but assured that it will be done before the end of the year.
“Before a town could be declared or demarcated, you have to agree on the boundaries so it is a legal boundary matter. You cannot just call Mahdia [a town], because no one knows where it actually ends and of course you have to be in compliance. It will be done this year but it is a very complicated region. It is a legal and technical issue, not a political one,” he said.
Regional flags
Meanwhile, the president was questioned on whether he believes national pride will serve to reduce political and racial incitement among Guyanese and in response he noted that he believes it starts at the community level.
“I would go a step further and say we need to develop regional pride and that is what I have started to see coming out. We have already proposed to the regions, regional flags… I see a region in Guyana as being [like] a state in America. And I see local pride and I believe that the local government elections should encourage that. I don’t smother that pride,” he said.
Granger pointed out that Bulkan has already introduced the flags to the Regional Chairpersons but added that they are proposals and not directives. “I expect that there will be discussions. It is a consultative process. We are not laying down anything. There is no deadline or timeline but I would like to see every region showing pride,” he noted.
“I see these flags representing local pride. People in Bartica are proud being ‘Barticans’ and are upset when people call them Barticians. People are proud of coming from Mabaruma. People are proud of being Berbicians… I would like to see the flags showing the characteristics and the resources of those regions and it is okay for them to propose to us, symbols. As you know Guyana has some of the richest fauna and some of the most luxuriant flora in the world and I expect that you will be seeing flags in due course with the Harpy Eagle or the Canje Pheasant,” he added.
