Dear Editor,
With seven days left to the holding of the long awaited local government elections, which were denied to Guyanese by their leaders for the past nineteen years, Gecom is ready to go full throttle, five hundred observers are on standby, and political parties and independent groups are on the campaign trail. But who will be the real beneficiaries of this election? It’s supposed to be the people, but thus far it doesn’t look so.
The new communities which are to be accorded township status, namely, Bartica, Region 7; Lethem, Region 9; and Mabaruma, Region 1, were built on mining, and largely depend on mining still, especially Bartica. Bartica is a thriving business hub with a population of approximately 15,000, and commerce will increase.
Are we, the residents of Bartica, being robbed or denied an opportunity of being consulted by the Ministry of Communities? To the best of my knowledge, there has been no public consultation mounted by the two most important ministries, namely, Public Infrastructure and Communities.
Bartica was built on mining and still depends on mining. The contesting parties and groups in Bartica have thus far not rolled out an economic rescue plan to boost the economy ‒ or we are not hearing about it. Where are the economic plans of those seeking to be elected?
Bartica is the gateway to the interior, with the potential of becoming town number 2 in Guyana.
The battle is on in Bartica for LGE, but sadly, character assassination seems to be the focus and the priority of contestants, rather than seeking to revive the economy which remains in a coma after the falling gold price. There is no talk of manufacturing centres or industries coming to Bartica to create employment, or of transforming one of two secondary schools into a sixth form secondary.
When the price of gold sneezes, communities like Bartica, Maburama and Lethem catch the cold.
There is no talk of plans to diversify or move away from mining as a traditional means of income in Bartica.
Yours faithfully,
Sherwyn Delano Downer
