David Armogan was re-appointed Chairman when members of the Region Six Regional Democratic Council (RDC) were sworn in yesterday and Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha reminded them that the “elections campaign is over” and that they were elected to serve the people of the region.
At the swearing in ceremony yesterday, Minister Mustapha, who delivered a charge to the councillors, said, “The elections campaign is over and the task is there now for us to build and rebuild our country.”
He told those gathered that councillors must at all times make decisions in the best interest of the people of Region Six. “They will serve the people of Region Six and they must put aside political affiliation, race and religion,”
According to Mustapha, while he was a member of the same RDC he can remember a number of heated arguments. However, he said they would also agree to disagree and push forward to ensure that decisions are made in the interest of the people of the region.
He noted, “I know some councillors might want to go out of their way to ensure that people receive the benefits of the government while some councillors will go out to get political gains, and I want to warn that this will be dangerous.”
Additionally, he reminded those gathered of the importance of the RDC. “Central government cannot come to the region every single day to deliver goods and services and it’s the RDC that has to ensure that they administer and look after the interest of the people. The RDC has a vital role to play to execute goods and good governance in keeping with the government’s overall trust for the development of the region.”
Mustapha also urged the councillors to pay keen attention to the concerns of the people, while adding that they must also ensure that they visit the various communities regularly to interact with residents and listen to their concerns and needs in order to make appropriate representation of the people at the level of the RDC.
He noted that the country had just come out of general and regional elections “and I want to say that whatever took place let us put that behind and concentrate on nation building.”
Mustapha added that the region is “on the verge of taking off, not only in sugar but when you look at the productive sector, rice production this year will be one of the largest crops ever, other crops will increase as well” and new lands are expected to be opened. Further, he noted, that there are a number of benefits in the recently approved emergency budget for the people of Region Six and Guyana.
Also present was APNU+AFC Member of Parliament Dineshwar Jaipersaud, who called on the councillors to work to ensure that the people of Region Six “receive what they deserve.” PPP/C Member of Parliament Vishwa Mahadeo, was also present yesterday.
Meanwhile, Armogan, during his address, thanked his fellow councillors for their confidence and committed to doing his best to ensure that the region’s people are much happier and there is a better life for every single one of them.
“I want to make it very clear that we are all here to ensure that the resources of the region and of the state are evenly distributed. Every single person in the region must benefit from the resources of the region and that it is going to be the standing principle within this RDC,” he added.
Zamal Hussain, who was previously an RDC councillor, was appointed Regional Vice Chairman. Hussain stated that he was extremely grateful to be chosen to serve the people of the region as Vice Chairman. “I am fully aware that I shall only be able to discharge these responsibilities by working with all members of the RDC along with the regional administration to ensure a better life for our people,” he said. “…It is also important to lay the council’s foundation on the principle of unity, and it will be important to keep that unity and cohesion among ourselves. For us to achieve this noble objective will require a strong, united RDC with unshakeable commitment to serve all our people with humility, professionalism and loyalty.”
The governing PPP/C has 20 seats on the council, while the opposition APNU+AFC has 10 seats. Both political parties have selected several young persons to serve on the current RDC.
Armogan will chair the region’s Finance and Agriculture committees, while Hussain will chair the region’s Local Government and Works committees. Additionally, PPP/C councillor Sherianna Beharry was appointed to chair the region’s Health and National Events committees, PPP/C councillor Haseef Yusuf was appointed chairman of the region’s Education Committee, and PPP/C councillor Ishwar Narinesammy was appointed to chair the region’s Youth, Sport and Culture committee.
While the APNU+AFC Councillors nominated persons to chair all of the committees they were outvoted by the PPP/C councillors present in every instance. Armogan stated that the persons elected by the opposition can serve as members of the various committees instead.
