The Budget neglects Region Seven including Bartica

Dear Editor,

Please permit me to inform the residents of Region Seven moreso Bartica the situation of the Budget Allocations.

Even after the massacre, the budget provides no evidence of promoting development.The budget has no allocation for the upgrading of the Bartica airstrip while the budget has great sums of monies for airstrips in Leguan and Wakenaam.

Even after the seven fires between 2007 and 2008 that had fatalities there is no allocation for a fire station. May I remind you that the proposed site for this fire station and the greenery were silently coveted by the PPP\C for their party’s office. It is only when found guilty that they decided to give back a piece to the Bartica NDC for the fire station.

Discrimination continues in Region Seven and moreso Bartica because we are controlled by a PNC RDC.

The one to five mile Bartica Potaro road does not find interest from the Govern-ment.The Government had allocated 20 million dollars in 2007 but did not do anything in this area.There is no allocation in this year’s budget either for this road regardless of the money that is generated from users. This area is predominantly PNC supporters as compared to Agatash that is PPP\C.We welcome every year the allocations for Agatash but the Government should stop discriminating and look after the welfare of the One to Five Mile residents.

Because of political appointment of the youth and sports officer, sports and culture is dead meat. This officer is not sports oriented. All our playgrounds are in a deplorable state, no sports gears and still I can hear big sums in the budget being mentioned for promotion of this sector. Only when there are national events and speech nights at the schools do we see some cultural event. If the Youth and Sports officer needs to see our children become oriented in this sector he should do the decent thing and resign and give someone with the ability, love and interest in this sector a chance to save our youths and transform those who are becoming inclined to going the drugs way and crime way.

Yours faithfully,

(Mrs) Judith David-Blair