President Irfaan Ali on Thursday called for greater collaboration between the Government and the Regional Democratic Councils as the Chairs and Vice Chairs of 9 of the 10 Regional Democratic Councils took their oath before him at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

The President said the people of the Administrative Regions demand better services, and the Regions must deliver, now that the elections are over.

According to the President, it is important to be responsive to the needs of people, noting that the RDC is often one of the first doors that citizens knock on, and it must not be the last door to open.

 “The people of Guyana have given you a mandate to build, not to divide, to deliver, not to stall progress, but accelerate it. They expect development, they expect leadership; they expect solutions, not excuses. This is why I want to emphasize two critical words that will define your success, responsiveness and delivery. Our citizens are weary of long waits, slow responses and delayed interventions. They want faster action when problem arise. They want visible improvement in their communities, and have every right to expect these things, and this must be done consistently,” the President said.

The President told the Regional officials that the oath of office taken is a contract between those elected to serve and their constituents. He said they must not fall back on their responsibilities, reminding that the Democratic Councils constitute the second tier of Government, which is a critical and indispensable link between the central administration and local government.

“The RDCs are expected to be the engine of regional development. RDCs bring government directly to the people. Their mandate covers the administration of essential public services – health, education, infrastructure, agriculture, recreation and community development. They promote regional growth in ways that reflect the unique needs and character of each region,” the President explained.

President Ali said his Government stands ready to deliver on its commitment to the people, and also stands ready also to work with each Council in the best interest of the people.

“Regardless of what philosophy or which philosophy you came from, this is the philosophy that we would like you to embrace, a philosophy that delivers one level of service to all of Guyana, a philosophy that delivers to all our people as one Guyana, a philosophy that lifts all of our people in a unified way, a philosophy that is people centered and people driven, that is the philosophy we follow in a people’s Progressive Party,” the President said.

The Chairpersons for Regions One to Nine took their oath of office. Region 10 is still to call another meeting for its election of a Chairman, after the first meeting ended in a deadlock with two candidates stuck on the same number of votes.

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