Latest update May 3rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 13, 2012 News
By Latoya Giles
APNU Member of Parliament Jennifer Wade has called for more focus to be placed on key development issues in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) which she represents. Wade in her budget presentation said that the purpose of any government is to sustain the welfare and well-being of all its people, “whether rich or poor, old or young”.
As such she said that the budget is not in isolation, but is part of a design to bring happiness and comfort to the greatest number of citizens.
According to Wade, prior to the budget she had embarked on a series of consultations with several stakeholders in society to solicit their views on issues regarded as important in their lives, and how they felt the issues should be addressed.
Wade listed their concerns as the crime situation, lack of proper health facilities, absence of a regular supply of drinking water in certain areas, lack of electricity, bad or non-existent roads, high prices in food items, poor drainage and unemployment.
The APNU MP told the House that these matters require urgent attention, but government “continues to ignore the needs to the people”. Wade said that it is her sincere hope that this year’s budget will fulfill promises made.
In the area of agriculture, she urged the government to tell farmers why an agricultural development bank is not provided even though several requests have been made by small farmers. Wade said that farmers are challenged by timely and unaffordable land preparation services, and she noted that the government needs to tell farmers why it isn’t reducing the cost of agricultural input such as chemicals and fertilizers.
In relation to housing and water, Wade said that the administration has been repairing the same houses every year and wasting taxpayers’ money. According to her, this is so because they fail to have the houses occupied although there are officers in need of accommodation. She said that the police houses at Fort Wellington and Blairmont, as well as the houses at the MMA/ADA compound are all in a deplorable state and no effort is being made to renovate them.
Wade further stated that taking into consideration the fact that some $1.8 billion was spent in the water sector, facilitating the construction and upgrading of distribution and transmission mains in the region, no consideration was given to families who cannot produce documentation of ownership.
She emphasized that for years now Ithaca and Burma have serious problems with the quality of water they receive.
“These residents have to purchase water for drinking and cooking purposes. These residents are drawing their own conclusions. There is always the problem of unreliable electricity supply to the region and the power outages affect the flow of water for long periods. It is time that generators are placed at these pumping stations to bring relief to the residents, especially the ones who cannot afford to buy water tanks.”
With respect to youth and sport, Wade told the House last night that “young people should be the priority of any Government. The Budget declared that all things are bright and beautiful, but billions are being spent and yet the problems still remain. The unresponsiveness in which issues are being handled indicates that the Government is not ready to work constructively for the good of the Guyanese people. Guyana needs a business-competitive environment to create jobs for our jobless young people.”
“In Region Five, Government needs to establish a pathway that will create healthy lifestyles for our promising youths. All youth organizations need to benefit from an improved Youth, Sports and Culture system. They need a platform for Drama, Music and Arts as well as care for kids with Special Needs. Upgrading and developing of all the sports facilities throughout the region must be done so that our young people can occupy their time meaningfully.”
Wade said that she hopes that the Region will benefit from the $160 Million that has been allocated for the upgrading of sports grounds countrywide, mentioned on page 49 in the Budget.
And on the issue of the disposal of solid waste, Wade emphasised that this should be done in a safe and efficient manner. “It is supposed to be everybody’s business in ensuring that the health and well-being of our nation is preserved. It should be noted that all environmental issues must be given equal treatment, and emphasis must be placed in the regions also, so as to bring an end to the indiscriminate dumping of garbage.”
THEM PIMPING OUT GUYANA.
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