Recently appointed Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., has donated a quantity of sports equipment to residents of the East Bank Demerara community of Agricola, as part of the government’s initiative to develop sport across Guyana.
Basketballs, as well as football cleats and footballs, were among the equipment presented to the residents of the village. Also supporting the initiative was Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hickens via his community outreach programme.
Speaking to reporters at the presentation, Ramson Jr., during brief remarks, stated, “Coming into government, what the People’s Progressive Party/Civic had said, is that we would be a government for all people; regardless of whether the area had supported the PPP, our position, our action in government is that we are there for all people.”
He noted that the distribution of sports equipment illustrates that the government was honoring its promise of taking a proactive approach to sport development.
“If you had said to me that we’re doing this just before an election then I would totally understand where the question is coming from; we’re not in an election. In fact, when the election was just concluded, one of the first things you’ve seen us doing is coming into all the areas in the country.”
According to Ramson Jr., “When it comes to ploy, tell that to the kids who are going to be using those sports gear. They don’t consider ploys, they don’t consider political opportunities; they’re going to be using these gear to advance their skill and well-being and maybe have a career out of it.”
He revealed that the government is in the process of creating a comprehensive programme to advance the respective sporting talents locally, disclosing that the community of Agricola will also be the beneficiary of the Ground Enhancement initiative.
“A government will never look at the position of government and treat it as though it is a temporary situation. However, your actions will indicate whether you remain in government or not. We’re here, in Agricola, because this community was neglected when they asked for sports gear during the 2015 – 2020 period. The community leaders said they’ve asked the previous government and they said no. So we want to make sure that the community has access to the grounds, as well as the gear.”
