President Bharrat Jagdeo says that the acquisition of new homes by Guyanese must be complemented by a change of attitude as it relates to cleanliness.
Addressing those gathered at the Guyana National Stadium on Friday for the opening of the International Building Expo, Jagdeo said that there needed to be a “new attitude” among the citizenry if model communities were to be developed. “We also need a new attitude in this country. A country that has hope – where there is ambition, where people want to own things –can’t pay scant regard to issues of cleanliness and keeping our facilities clean, Jagdeo said. This, he said, remains important if the kinds of communities that are desirable in the country are to be built.
“We can’t be at an exposition and talk about building beautiful homes and people don’t even cut the grass on their parapets or the grass in their yards,” Jagdeo said.” And then there is a failure on the part of the state too, the municipality-collecting garbage, disposing of garbage properly,” the President added. The President, however, pointed to the investment being made by the government to establish a modern waste disposal plant which should be commissioned later this year.
The three-day event is the first of its kind to be held in Guyana. It features over 100 exhibits and includes several local businesses as well as representatives from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, China and the USA.
One of the larger exhibits on display is the one from National Hardware. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company Eddie Boyer told this newspaper that the event was a good one for local businesses since it provided the opportunity for companies to showcase what Guyana g had to offer.
He said too that locals were particularly interested in purchasing their own homes. “Guyanese, wherever they go, even if abroad want to own their own home,” he said, adding that “it is something embedded in us, not to pay rent but to own your own.” He said that home builders wanted ideas but also wanted to purchase items of quality that gave them value for money.
Meantime persons who have been allocated a low income house lot from the government can now benefit from a 20 per cent discount on up to 8 slings of cement from TCL. This announcement was made by Housing Minister Irfaan Ali during the opening ceremony and he described it as a “benefit already reaped” from the Expo.
West Indies Cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan also had a booth showcasing the blueprint of the ‘Providence Plaza.’ The plaza, which is being financed by Sarwan, is set to be located near to the National Stadium. Public Relations Officer Reaz Hussain told Stabroek News that construction was set to begin before the end of the year. The facility is to include a shopping plaza, banking facilities, a cinema, restaurants and food courts, among other things. Hussain said that a late decision had been made to unveil the plan for the plaza at the Building Expo.
