By: Trichell Sobers
Neighbourhood Democratic Councillors and Overseers from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) were today urged to be more visible and proactive in their respective communities.
The call was issued by Local Government and Regional Development Minister Sonia Parag during a one-day training workshop aimed at retooling the officials with skills needed to execute their function effectively.
According to Minister, of recent, government has received numerous complaints about community representatives’ inability to address issues affecting their constituencies, with some citizens even stating that they are not aware who their councillor or overseers are.
It is with this in mind that the Minister took it upon herself to retrain these officials and remind them their responsibilities as stipulated in the Local Democratic Organs Act 12 of 1980.
The training will focus on financial management and accountability to promote and maintain transparency and good governance across all Local Democratic Organs.
This first batch of trainees from councillors and overseers from neighbourhood democratic councils in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).
The training got underway on Friday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.
“You can’t sit in your office and decide that you know how to fix a problem or somebody comes to your office and describes a scenario and you understand it.
“Come out of your office, it’s a lot of you on the Council, make a visit to the community…it’s amazing what you can discover and it’s amazing how the people you will be able to engage with at a bottom house can come out there and explain to you when you are on the ground to see what happening. It gives you a first-hand experience and it gives you an idea on how you can help, far better than sitting in your office,” the Minister explained.
Further, Parag instructed the NDC councillors and overseers to get their offices in order, starting with the timely submission of monthly reports and minutes of meetings.
Underscoring the importance of accountability and transparency, she added that government will no longer tolerate mismanagement and disorderly conduct among officials.
“Let us pay keen attention to transparency and accountability because it is very easy for those who hold offices to slack off and to be accused of many things. And so, we must at all times, again, understand that the people hold you accountable,” the Minister added.
Neighbourhood Democratic Councillors upon election are tasked with managing and providing services to individuals within small geographic areas while Overseers are is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the office and assisting in the execution of the council’s decisions.
Community services include sanitation, garbage disposal, road/dam maintenance, market facilities, burial grounds and drainage, among others.
