'Linden will live on its feet, not die on its knees' -- says Mayor Stan Smith by Terrence Esseboom Guyana Chronicle November 8, 1999 LINDEN will live on its feet not die on its knees, said Mr Stan Smith, Mayor of the bauxite mining town. Smith made this remark Friday during the ceremony held at the Mayor and Town Council Hall to welcome President Bharrat Jagdeo and his Cabinet to the municipality. Complaining about a Chronicle article titled `Cabinet visit sparks hope for town on its knees', Smith said the writing was "demoralising" to residents. "We refuse to go down despite all the blows we take...we shall live on our feet," Smith emphasised. If indeed the town is "on its knees", this is an indictment of the local municipality, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and ultimately Central Government, the Linden Mayor said. Regional Democratic Council Chairman, Mr Ovid Walton, who received the Presidential entourage to the mining town, also complained about the tenor of the Chronicle report. Smith in his remarks explained that in the past, LINMINE managed the township and this made municipal authorities superfluous. When hard times hit the industry, management was handed back to the Town Council. He said too, that the body is robbed of revenue at present because the bauxite firm has taken control of toll collection at the Wismar/Mackenzie bridge. "This must be reviewed...so that the municipality can be more effective in providing (better) services to residents," Smith said. Revenue collection at Linden is measured at 26 per cent, said Mr Clinton Collymore, Local Government Minister, at the Saturday press conference held˙by President Bharrat Jagdeo to wrap up his two-day visit to the region. Smith said if all the revenues are collected many hardships bedeviling the municipality "will still be left unresolved." He said too, that some of the problems are "beyond the capability of the Town Council." President Jagdeo promised his Government's "fullest support" to push development in Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Berbice), and the municipality especially. He said Linden is to benefit substantially from a European Union (EU) US$20M funding which should be disbursed sometime next year. President Jagdeo called for responsible management of funding released to the region, and announced the establishment of a development authority to oversee the EU support. The body will comprise persons from the Region Ten municipality, the RDC, Government, and youth bodies. "We should work together to spread the message of hope," Mr Jagdeo told municipal employees. A © page from: Guyana: Land of Six Peoples