President Jagdeo and Cabinet Ministers Robert Persaud and Manniram Prashad engaged farmers and the broader communities yesterday on the Essequibo Coast. RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj was also on hand. The meetings were held at Dartmouth and Cotton Field, where hundreds of residents turned out to discuss various issues affecting their communities and the region as a whole.
The President announced a $258 million emergency package to deal with the effects of the ongoing El Niño induced drought affecting the country. He stated that the “entire apparatus of government is now dedicated to bringing as much relief as possible to the affected areas.” He also expressed particular concern about Leguan after flying over the island. Leguan will receive assistance.
There was something quite interesting about these meetings. Contrary to what is usually peddled in the press, the President and his Ministers gave a full listening to community concerns. The residents themselves stayed away from inflammatory comments and used the meetings to address specific issues. In turn, whenever possible, President Jagdeo provided equally specific answers, and many issues were resolved on the spot. Otherwise, he set in motion a ‘chain of command’ to have the issues resolved in a timely manner.
President Jagdeo also encouraged people to read the budget and to be insistent that budgetary commitments for their communities are actually executed. He encouraged residents to demand more accountability from their local governments, and informed local government leaders that Cabinet would not settle for shoddy work done under their watch.
The bulk of the discussions were on the severe water shortage in Essequibo and in the country as a whole. Some residents made specific requests and suggestions. These were given active consideration, and in some instances, the communities were updated about new measures that were ‘in the works.’ Minister Robert Persaud, for example, reported to farmers that two mobile pumps would soon be deployed on the coast.
There were two particularly difficult issues. The first of these concerned the price for paddy. Apparently rice millers were refusing to state the price for paddy until the farmer deposits the paddy at the mill. Farmers complained that millers were ‘running them around’ on the paddy price. When asked the price (for paddy), all that the millers apparently will say is that they will pay what other millers are paying.
President Jagdeo and Minister Persaud were deeply disturbed by this practice. The President and Minister Manniram Prashad advised farmers that the Government of Guyana would not tolerate ‘price-fixing’ and farmers were assured that the full force of the law would be brought to bear on the matter. Minister Prashad is now looking at the paddy price matter in the context of Guyana’s competitions framework.
The other difficult issue concerns lack of pasture for cattle. Farmers reported an ‘ongoing story’ of apparent land capture by a large Essequibo farmer who converted the pasture to rice cultivation. One gentleman explained that the issue was complicated and that efforts were ongoing to resolve the issue with the cooperation of the said large rice farmer.
Finally, in one demonstration of agile management, President Jagdeo was able to dispose of a number of housing related matters on the spot. The President sought clarification and advice from the Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali during the meeting with residents who are from Charity. After his consultation with Minister Ali, the President informed the residents that their request would be settled in short order.
Yours faithfully,
Randy Persaud
Office of the President
