Region 10 Members of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira and Devin Sears, on Wednesday, put forward a strong case to the National Assembly for greater investments to be made in Region 10, particularly in the areas of health, education, infrastructure, agriculture, housing and water and business and finance. 

MP Figueira said even as the National Assembly met on Wednesday, the hospitals and health centres in Region 10 were without critical drugs, citing medication for diabetic patients as an example. 

Further, he told the Assembly that it was unfortunate that the Government is appealing the High Court’s ruling that the deduction of payments for nurses, who were involved in a protest over their working conditions, was unlawful. He said the “unjustified and heartless” challenge should be aborted.  

In the area of agriculture, MP Figueira said farmers, in the region, need more than lip-service and piece meal interventions. According to him, the “paltry” increase of $7M for the agriculture in the region is inadequate. 

“Sir, given the availability of arable lands and the general potential of the sector. Purpose driven policies for agriculture in region 10 can derive real solutions for the damning effects of the high cost of living, by simply empowering residents to grow more food, while simultaneously addressing the challenges of unemployment of our youths. The government must incentivize farming to put landowners to work and attract youths to the land as an attractive mainstream livelihood,” he said. 

The Opposition MP said there is no doubt that the district can make a significant contribution to the achievement of food security nationally, and the reduction of imports, regionally, by 2025. However, he said while many Lindeners have lease lands, they do not have the resources to develop the sustainably. 

“Mr. Speaker, budget 2024 can do much more than provide subsidized fertilizers to farmers and a few dozen chickens to PPP party supporters in the region. We need our farmers and leaseholders in West Watooka, Millies Hideout, Wisroc, Rockstone, Ituni and Kwakwani, to have not only access roads to their lands and markets, but access to machinery to clear those land, access to water, drainage and irrigation, organic seeds, pesticides and grants, yes sizable grants and low interest-special facility loans, thus empowering region 10 to make a meaningful contribution to this sector. Mr. Speaker, the government must give us the same support given to farmers in Parika regions 1, 3, 5 6 and 9,” MP Figueira told the House.

Given the geography of the region, he said it is best suited to become a commercial and heavy cargo transshipment hub. 

“Mr. Speaker we will no longer accept just being the gateway to the interior and Brazil, where people and businesses pass through to another destinations, we want to be that destination for commerce, trade, tourism and entertainment.  No other region in this country is more connected to Guyana than region ten, the heart land region through which all three main rivers flow, and the heart land which can access 8 of our 10 regions,” MP Figueira argued. 

He said with funds from the Budget 2024, the region could be well on its way to becoming a transshipment commercial hub. He said on the corridor to Brazil, there is need for an industrial duty-free zone to be established, container terminals, assembling plants, warehouses, cottage industries, small, medium and large-scale manufacturing industries to allow for sustained jobs to be created. 

MP Figueira also made a case for the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) to receive the necessary funds to finance businesses in the region, noting that the $50M budgeted for the financial institution would only cover, operational costs.

 MP Sears, in his contribution to the National Budget Debates, said the government continues to place its foot on the neck of Region 10 by politically victimizing its people. This he said is reflective in the allocations to the region. 

“Mr Speaker, the devil is in the details and after deciphering this massive trillion-dollar budget, the modus operandi of the PPP remains the same, defund the opposition majority Regional Democratic Councils so that Central Government can swoop in and look good and use it as a political ploy. Mr Speaker, the facts don’t lie. For over the three years, Region 10’s capital budgetary allocation was the lowest in terms of increase. When we look at Region 2, which supposedly is their stronghold, it increased by 42.9% but Region 10 only received over the last three years, an increase of 25.4%,” MP Sears pointed out.

He said the region deserves better, including four-lane roads, as being seen in other parts of the country. 

However, he said the reality is, that this year, major road networks in the region, will not undergo any major rehabilitation thanks to the Government. Similarly, he said the 11 indigenous villages in the region, will also not benefit from any transformative project. 

The region, he stressed, deserves better. 

Related posts:

Hastings-Williams presses for more attention to be paid to developmental needs of Hinterland Region Region 10 Officials complain of “inadequate” budgetary funding for major capital projects in the Region Region 10’s Jermaine Figueira asks PPP where were the bright ideas for 23 years T&T Minister dismisses concerns of his countrymen about Guyana investment