Members of the Community Development Councils (CDCs) are volunteers and their budgets for projects do not form part of the Regional Development Councils (RDC), rather they have to uplift project paperwork and money from the National CDC office in Georgetown.
This is according to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Ganga Persaud in response to questions posed to him by APNU’s Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon during Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly.
Kissoon wanted to know why monies for CDCs do not go to RDCs for payment.
She also asked the minister to explain the role of the director of the CDC and why staff of the CDCs have to travel from Linden to Georgetown to uplift money.
Persaud responded that CDCs are voluntary organisations operating within communities and do not form part of the budgetary framework of the RDC and as such the issue of payment is not a question for the regional administrations. The director, he said, coordinates the efforts of community groups to get them established and provides the necessary guidance ensuring that the councils operate and function within the guidelines documented in the Constitution.
The minister said that from time to time projects will be approved by the CDC secretariat and when this happens, members of the various CDCs have to travel to the city so that the necessary paperwork can be done. Persaud said there are no staff members at the CDCs but rather volunteers who hold positions.
Following his answers, another APNU MP, Deborah Backer, asked whether the guidelines he spoke of are in writing and whether he would make it available.
The minister said the guidelines are in writing and he would make it available before the next sitting of the House.
The minister was then asked for the name of the CDC director and the salary of the person, information which he said will be provided at a later date.
Philomena Sahoye-Shury is the National Director of Community Development Councils.
Speaker Raphael Trotman asked the minister whether the cost is borne by the CDC when persons have to travel to Georgetown, pointing out that when persons spend $2,000 to collect $5,000 it does not add up and this is a constant complaint in the regions.
The minister said that when approvals are granted for projects, travelling expenses are catered for within the project.
“Thank you minister, I hope you will ensure that, because people collecting what in some instances is a pittance really; it is sometimes oppressive for them to come to collect … I think that is what the honourable member was trying to bring out,” Trotman said.
