Hundreds attend Open Day with Vice President

Councillor Steven Jacobs

By Khadidja Ba

Around 700 persons varying from farmers to potential re-migrants, with myriad issues attended an Open Day with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre yesterday.

Along with Ministers from various sectors, Jagdeo organized individuals into groups according to their needs and concerns, then facilitated direct discussions with the relevant ministers. Many praised this initiative as a pivotal move towards more responsive governance, offering people a chance to interact directly with Government representatives to address longstanding issues. While most attendees who spoke with the Vice President chose not to disclose details of their one-on-one discussions, a few mentioned that their concerns weren’t resolved on the spot. None-theless, they expressed optimism about receiving follow-up updates within a week.

Roodi Balgobin, Senior Research Officer within the Office of the Vice President, underscored the significance of an event aimed at fostering direct dialogue between citizens and government officials. Balgobin emphasized that many attendees had previously encountered challenges in swiftly resolving their issues, whether through local channels or other ministries.