PPP/C gov’t approach to governance demonstrably participatory, responsive – Teixeira

The track record of the PPP/C government on engagement with Guyanese, in order to effectively respond to issues affecting them is being bolstered continuously, according to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance,

Gail Teixeira. She, recently, said, “Our track record in this area is good…we have made it clear that this will be our approach to governance – inclusive, participatory and responsive… the issue of a responsive government is important… it doesn’t mean a government is able to respond to everything the people need or want at that time, but the fact that they are willing to engage is key.

“…our approach is to do community oriented meetings, bottom house meetings, town hall meetings, as well as meeting organised civil society, whether it is the regional business community or religious bodies, as well as the national bodies. This way we ensure that we are tuned into the issues they are concerned about and, also, to hear what their suggestions are.”

The Minister charged that the dialogue is quintessential to not only good governance, but effective governance. “This is a participatory democracy and we have to build that… sometimes we may not always agree, but we have to find common ground and we do that through dialogue,” she said.

She highlighted that in the first two national budgets the PPP/C government commitment to Guyanese was proven with the effort to not only rebalance the economy, but also make efforts at enormous cost to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and improving social support networks. “A lot has been done from August 2nd (2020) to now,” Teixeira.

In comparison, she noted that in contrast, the track record of the APNU+AFC

Coalition is dismal, given that communities did not see any official for years.

The Minister said, “The outreaches are important. I don’t think anyone can say that Ministers are not visible and out there… Ministers have been going out to communities dealing with farming issues, drainage and irrigation issues, mining issues, etc. That is an important component of government. An important aspect of democracy is that the people you elect to represent you in government are accessible and visible and the other concept of course is responsive.”

Teixeira’s comments follow the Region Two Cabinet Outreach, which was led by President Dr. Irfaan Ali. The activity saw a number of issues being addressed, from new infrastructure to improve the delivery of goods and services in the health sector to support for vulnerable groups.