The Regional Chairman of Region 10, Deron Adams yesterday said that the Regional Executive Officer refused to finance the region’s Mash event claiming that the budgeted funds were expended on the Georgetown Mash celebrations despite the council deciding against the region’s participation in the city event.
Adams yesterday explained, that after the budget was “increased by only eighty thousand dollars, your council voted to instruct the administration not to go to Georgetown, but to reserve our tax dollars to ensure that we can fund Mash celebrations in Linden.”
However, he said, that in “direct contravention to this lawful instruction”, the Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO) took a contingent to Georgetown for Mash. He noted, that they were then told that the intention was “to wash these rain-soaked and already worn costumes and issue them to revelers in Linden, along with some others left over from 2022.”
According to Adams, the REO delivered a letter on Thursday, March 2nd, to him which said, “as such as the Accounting Officer, I am required to comply with the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act where the monies appropriated by the National Assembly under 801 Regional Administration and Finance- Chart of Accounts 6291 – National and Other Events are insufficient to execute the Linden Regional Mashramani celebration 2023. Currently, I would not be responsible of any unauthorized expenditures since it would be in contradiction with prudent financial management and my accounting responsibilities.”
As a result of this, Adams said, that to “protect our residents” they were not able to engage them to provide goods and services for the Mash in Linden held on Sunday, “for which they will not be paid.”
Adams yesterday gave assurance to the people of the region, that the REO and administration would be taken “to task for any unauthorized expenditure of your tax dollars as these funds are said to be unavailable, while we work towards remedying the other more important issues of providing developmental services to the people of Region 10 in a transparent and accountable manner.”
