Describing the town of Linden as a woman who has been abandoned by her longtime lover, President Irfaan Ali suggested that his party, the PPP, is the new man for the town that will replace the People’s National Congress in the upcoming Local Government Elections.
At a Saturday afternoon rally in the heart of the Mackenzie shopping district, the President sought to rally support behind his party’s municipal candidates in the town.
In what could be seen as part of the courting period, the President announced that the Government will sign a US$150M loan agreement with the Saudi Fund for Development on Monday for the construction of 1,000 houses and a new Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge.
“The naysayers said, we will not do it but on Monday, glory be to thee. On Monday, we shall put ink on paper, and we shall sign a loan for the Wismar Bridge, and shall sign for US$150M for housing. And guess what? My dear friends of Linden, get ready, put on your long boots and get your spade because all of you in the construction sector, will have to come forth as we build the 1,000 houses for Linden,” the President said.
In early May, the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saudi Fund for Development, Sultan Al Marshad signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the financing of the projects.
The President also announced that the Linden Synthetic Track at Wismar, Linden will also be commissioned ahead of the local elections. Construction work on the track started in 2018.
“They say, we will not complete the synthetic track. You remember that? Well, guess what? Before the 12th [June], we will open it. We will open it. Right now, I am practicing my 100m but I don’t want them in a 100m, I like distance race, I will take them down with the distance because we are not playing a short game, we are playing a long game for the people. We are sowing the seeds for the future of everyone that will come after you,” the President told the PPP/C supporters.
He said too that the Government will be engaging residents of the various communities to rehabilitate, maintain and construction a number of roads in the mining town.
These projects, he reasoned, will complement the major upgrades being doneto the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, and Linden-Lethem Road, as the Government repositions Linden to be a major transportation and logistics hub.
President Ali said it was important for the Linden Municipality to work hand-in-hand with Central Government to aid in the transformation of the town. According to him, the town, for decades, has suffered as a result of poor leadership.
The municipal council has complained over the years of being starved of resources under various PPP Civic governments.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill said with a PPP/C controlled Municipality, Central Government can fast track development in Linden. Traditionally, the 16-member Town Council has dominated and controlled by the PNC-led APNU. Minister Edghill said it was time for a change.
“These Local Government Elections, comrades, is not about race, is not about green and red. It is about putting in a team of people that is competent, committed, loyal and dedicated to community development, and want to do things right…June 12th Lindeners have to make a management decision, it’s a management decision…Who do you want to govern, to represent you…The PPP/C is contesting to win in Linden, so that Linden can be properly managed, so we can modernize and transform Linden,” Minister Edghill said.
Like President Ali, he too accused the APNU led council of mismanagement, telling those present that the Council has been underperforming. He reported that millions of dollars, in subvention intended for the maintenance of the town, have been returned to Central Government.
“Everything that could go wrong with financial management at an entity has gone wrong at the Linden Municipality. Everything that could go wrong. No process, no accountability, and could you imagine, they said the PPPC used to starve them and punish them. Every year, the Municipality gets what is called a subvention…Out of the $18M that was voted for them last year sir, only $2M was spent, $2M. The same $18M is voted for 2023, and when we checked at the end of May to see how much is spent, zilch,” Minister Edghill said.
The PPP has been campaigning heavily in the mining town, with Edghill being in charge of the campaign.
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