New towns are ‘administrative centres’ – President

April 3, 2016, http://guyanachronicle.com/new...e-centres-president/

President David Granger

WITH the introduction of three new towns in Guyana, President David Granger has sought to remind the elected representatives that these towns will serve as administrative centres which they need to further develop. This was according to a release issued by the Ministry of the Presidency Saturday evening in which the Head of State sought to congratulate the newly elected officials.
Eight of the nine towns had their councils installed last week and according to the President, these bodies will be responsible for further developing these municipalities.
President Granger also sought to emphasise that the new “capital towns” are all administrative centres of their respective regions and that they would be expected to lead economic development in each region by encouraging infrastructural extension, investment, information and communications technology and innovation.
“He [the President] expects that the new “capital towns” will be better equipped to attract investment, promote business and drive the economic development of the country’s 10 regions,” the statement said.
Further, the Head of state reminded the Mayors that one of the principal economic benefits to be achieved by the return of local democratic elections would be the opportunity to create new municipalities – at Bartica, Lethem and Mabaruma. These will join the existing six towns at Anna Regina, Corriverton, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam and Rose Hall.
The new Mayors and Deputy Mayors sworn in last week are: in Anna Regina – Rabindranath Mohan and Darshan Persaud; Bartica – Gifford Marshall and Nageshwarie ‘Kamal’ Persaud; Corriverton – Ganesh Gangadin and Jaichand Krishand; Georgetown – Patricia Chase-Green and Sherod Duncan; Lethem – Carlton Beckles and Maxine-Ann Welch; Linden – Carwyn Holland and Waneka Arrindell; New Amsterdam – Kurt Wynter and Winifred Haywood; and Rose Hall – Vijay Kumar Ramoo and Dave Budhoo.
Just recently on his weekly television show “The Public Interest,” President Granger touted a corporate approach which will see these local government bodies generating their own revenues rather than depending on Government subventions.
And although this might not seem as simple as it sounds, he believes that if they are able to explore non-traditional routes such as manufacturing, it can be achieved.
“I think the municipalities should see themselves as corporations, encouraging business rather than just being administrators expecting subventions. They must examine ways of generating revenue and earning a profit,” he explained.
According to him, Guyana has tremendous agricultural potential which he believes is under-exploited. He opined that most of the country’s agricultural produce could be bottled, packaged, or processed for use locally and for export. According to the World Bank, in 2014, agriculture accounted for 18.28 per cent of Guyana’s GDP.
And with traditional foods such as pepper sauce, pineapple chunks and guava cheese already being produced locally, expansion on an industrial scale at the municipal level is one of the ways in which the local authority bodies could fashion themselves as corporations, he added.
Also, with a soaring unemployment rate, which currently stands at approximately 40 per cent, the President expects these new councils to pay attention to the economy in terms of alleviating unemployment through job-creation.
Having toured the length and breadth of Guyana, President Granger, who is also a historian, is of the view that every town in Guyana has economic potential to open factories, encourage investment, and provide employment for people living in those areas.
And also supporting efforts to reduce this unemployment rate is the need for completion of the formal education system, the Head of State said, adding that this is one of the responsibilities of the councils.
“I would like to see the councils accept responsibility for ensuring that every single child in that municipality or neighbourhood gets into school and stays there,” President Granger stated.