Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has dubbed government’s recently held public day as a “gimmick,” while stressing that citizens must be able to access help at the respective ministries at any time.
“Why do they have to come to the Square of the Revolution…? It was all a sham to show that they are working and they are concerned about people,” Jagdeo said during a press conference at his Church Street office on Thursday, one day after hundreds of persons turned up at the Square of the Revolution for the ‘Government comes to you’ initiative.
As a part of the initiative, representatives of various ministries of the government and public agencies were on hand to listen and assist members of the public with their concerns. Based on the feedback from the event, access to house lots was the most prominent issue dealt with.
However, Jagdeo accused government officials of sitting in “fancy chairs” and using “air-conditioned tents” as they served the public, a stone’s throw away from the Ministry of the Presidency complex.
“Yesterday’s activity just reflected a mindset,” he said, while stressing that that house lot processing should be done at the Brickdam-based housing department and not at the Square of the Revolution. Each ministry, he stressed, should be effective.
The former president also pointed out that the amount of money spent to pull off the event could have been better used to solve the problems of many persons.
With regard to housing, he promised that under a PPP/C government all those requesting house lots will get one. “I want to assure all of the people who went there that trust me under the PPP you’re gonna get the house lots,” he said before claiming that while in government, his party developed 8,000 houselots per year. “This government in four years has not done one single new housing scheme…,” he said.
Earlier, he claimed that young people were being fooled with concerts and international artists and the vague promise of a house lot. “This government has not developed one single house lot since it took office. Contrast that with 100,000 done under the PPP,” he claimed before questioning who have been the beneficiaries of the house lots left behind by the PPP/C. “What they are doing is repossessing and redistributing,” he claimed.
According to Jagdeo, ministers are on a “fix” mission in which they visit different parts of the country.
“They are only hoping to get past the no-confidence motion or the elections…they have already been established as untrustworthy, never kept their word,” he said, before adding that the government is in panic given the pending elections.
