Buxton revival
Govt spent $227M in five years -Collymore
Stabroek News
October 12, 2002
The government has spent $227M on works in the Buxton area in the last five years says Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Clinton Collymore.
Collymore was responding to a call by leader of the PNC/R Desmond Hoyte on Thursday night for the government to implement a $250M socio-economic plan for the troubled village and its environs.
In a press release issued by the Government Information Agency Collymore asked: "Is the Guyanese nation being told by the opposition leader that the $250M package for Buxton is guaranteed to end the troubles in the locality? Is he intimating that should his plan be endorsed by the government the main opposition would pledge unequivocal support for the fight against crime? Such a pledge would be warmly welcome."
And he asked "But what about other communities? Is Buxton the only depressed area in Guyana? Does Mr Hoyte have similar plans to develop Linden, Cane Grove, Den Amstel and Leonora? ..The village of Buxton has a proud history and heritage. For this reason alone Buxtonians should not be gullible and swallow whatever the opposition leader tells them." Collymore also pointed out that the area has been under PNC local government for decades.
Meanwhile he said the PPP/C has already crafted a development scheme geared to progressively improve the social and physical infrastructure of the Buxton community and despite the intense hostilities of recent months, the government has not abandoned the village.
Collymore said the army has been deployed there to assist the police in law and order but has also been engaged in many community initiatives welcomed by the villagers themselves and these initiatives will be complemented in the days to come.
Collymore's release went on to list a number of projects the government has implemented and completed in the village since 1997.
Some of these include: the extension of the Company Path Primary School at the cost of $12M; construction of the Buxton/Friendship Primary School $80M; $18M spent on the rehabilitation and extension of water supply; another $18M spent on drainage and irrigation works and other infrastructural works; $20M on agricultural development and a $25M contract awarded by Cabinet for further sea defence works.
According to the release apart from schools, the Ministry of Education has an ongoing programme of distribution of books and other basic teaching aids in communities throughout the country from which Buxton has benefited.
Also in December 2001 the sea wall in the area was breached at three different points, which caused flooding in the area and according to the release the Ministry of Public Works stepped in immediately and sealed the breaches before residents could have been affected. The release further said that there is a fully operational, fully staffed health centre in the village and a senior health visitor is also stationed with a midwife and nursing assistant while a trained doctor visits the centre every week.
The release pointed out that emerging out of the dialogue between President Bharrat Jagdeo and Hoyte, six Joint Committees were set up and under the Depressed Communities Needs Committee, the government allocated $60M for four communities with each community receiving $15M. Buxton was included in the four communities and some of the projects included, de-silting street drains within the community by manual labour so as to improve drainage, cleaning, excavating building and shaping over 400 rods of Crown Dam, providing irrigation water and access to land for over 400 farmers, installing 24 tube culverts within the village, and de-silting Company Path trench between Buxton and Friendship to facilitate transportation of farmers' produce and provide drainage and irrigation for farms among others.
The release noted that many persons have been attacked by criminals who emerged from the village and who openly returned there. It was pointed out that the PNC/R to date has not condemned the attacks following the 2001 elections nor the one on the Chester family who were forced to flee the village of Friendship. Two of the family's homes were burnt to the ground by persons unknown and guns were fired at the fleeing family members. It is believed that the attack was perpetrated after the family had voiced concern over a crime that was committed. The release added that the government treats the development of each and every area in an even handed manner and it remains committed to engaging the representatives of the Buxton community and all other communities in genuine discussions towards advancing the development of their areas.