Coalition invested heavily in Hinterland development-Bulkan

…says APNU+AFC has restored local governance across Guyana

The coalition APNU+AFC has invested billions of dollars post-2015 in Hinterland development and the government will continue to expend monies on bridging the Hinterland with the coastland.

This is according to Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan who also told residents of the Potaro-Siparuni region on Wednesday night at Mahdia, that the coalition has restored local governance all across the country.

Bulkan was addressing hundreds of residents who gathered at the Mahdia Oval for Wednesday’s rally where President David Granger gave the feature address to a mammoth crowd of supporters.

The Minister of Communities told the gathering that the March 2, 2020 elections will be about the populace and its future.”It is about will be return to pre-2015 when Mahdia and this region was on a fast track to nowhere,” he said.

He said no one will forget what the roads looked like at Mahdia pre-2015, noting that persons had to navigate between the craters in the roads there. He said the transformation of the town under the APNU+AFC started with the completion of a $1B road network at the mining town.

Bulkan said many would recall Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo’s visit to Mahdia in November 2018 where he said instead of building roads, government should have built houses. Bulkan asked whether this made sense since the network was needed to cater for development of the town.

He said other opposition members have noted that the APNU+AFC government built the concrete roads with money that the People Progressive Party (PPP) left in the coffers, a notion he said was disrespectful to the region, noting that party never had a plan for the region. ”But David Granger has a plan for our regions and it is that none must be left behind,”Bulkan said, adding that the President has said in the past that investment must be made to bridge the Hinterland with the Coastland.

As he elaborated on investments made by the government on the Hinterland, Bulkan mentioned the $114M Kumaka-San Jose bridge at Moruca,the $100M investment on the new technical institute at Bina Hill in the North Rupununi which provides skills training for hinterland youths.

He said upgrade of the water system at the Salbora Falls at Mahdia and the drilling of new wells in the area as well as installation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs with free Wifi at hinterland areas are testimony of government’s commitment to developing the regions.

He also noted that the upgrades to many airstrips are among the long list of “transformative “ investments made on hinterland development by the APNU+AFC.

Bulkan said not only the roads at Mahdia have been upgraded but he noted that one can join a car and travel to Pamela Landing in 15 to 20 minutes instead of an hour long drive. ”And to Moruwa you can now get there in two and two and half hours,” he said as noted that the road and bridges have been upgraded along the route.

Bulkan also listed the Bartica-Potaro Road which connects the two towns. ”My friends none of this is any gyaff, we have the evidence,” he said, noting it is not an empty promise to create 50,000 jobs.

Bulkan informed the crowd that budgetary allocations under the APNU+AFC to the hinterland regions have been high, adding that $40.8B was expended in this regard in 2019, an increase by over 70% since the government assumed office in 2015.He said the increased budgets have allowed for investments in education as he noted that the improvements have seen improved pass rates at various national examinations.

The minister said that he visited the North Pakaraimas recently and persons there mentioned that the PPP has accused the government of focusing on villages which did not support the APNU+AFC in 2015.He said that this was far from the truth, noting that the coalition does not practice discrimination.

Bulkan told the crowd that Mahdia has joined Guyanese across the country who have joined “the winning team” and according to him, the PPP was in Mahdia two weeks ago, searching for a crowd.

He said that the opposition will know its place in two weeks.”They had their time and they have outlived their usefulness,” he said of the PPP. Bulkan said that the choice for Guyanese is simple and straightforward,noting that it is an unequal contest which cannot be underestimated,given the nature of the PPP.

The region is on the move, Bulkan added, noting that this was the reason why Regional Chairman, Bonaventure Fredericks crossed the floor from the PPP and joined the coalition.

He said all the regions are moving forward, adding that other PPP officials are abandoning that party and have joined the coalition. “We have restored governance all across Guyana,”he noted, as he told the gathering that the coalition has allowed communities to elect their own leaders.

Bulkan said President Granger’s  plans for Guyana are based on strong regions and he noted that the President has said that each citizen must have access to quality public services. He told the gathering that President Granger is the leader who will see oil and gas revenues benefit  everyone, adding that after the this year’s elections, the Head of State will continue to develop the Potaro-Siparuni region.