-in Region 5
Councillors of the Region Five RDC have been asked to be more responsive, visible and accessible to the communities they serve.
This from Local Government Minister Priya Manickchand during a visit to the region yesterday.
During the engagement, Minister Manickchand emphasized that effective representation requires constant interaction with the public.
She therefore urged councillors to be proactive and responsive to the needs and concerns of citizens, noting that accessibility is critical to building trust and confidence in local governance.
The Minister further encouraged RDCs to extend their outreach beyond their immediate communities.
“Give yourself a timeline of which you would want to go each village and where you ask the chairman if he’s going somewhere, make sure he tells you. Set yourself a schedule of 2 or 3 of you getting together and going into communities, talking to people, hearing people. Recording with a view to fixing, a view of action. Take people’s numbers, call them and tell them what you’ve done,” she said.
The Minister reminded Councillors that their role is a sacred responsibility and a valuable opportunity to serve the people of their villages and communities.
She urged them to become thoroughly familiar with their region, learning the number of schools, churches, temples, and other key institutions and facilities, stressing that this knowledge is essential to effective leadership and meaningful service.
“So understand the magnitude and the beauty of the privilege you have here, don’t waste it. Just enjoy the fact that you’re a Councillor. Don’t puff up your chess and walk around boastfully and pridefully. You have massive opportunity to be of service here to people which is a bigger calling that most people in the world never got the opportunity to do.”
Minister Manickchand reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring effective leadership at all levels of local governance, with a clear focus on delivering tangible results to communities.
Wednesday’s engagement in Region Five forms part of an ongoing series of structured consultations with RDCs, NDCs, and municipal councils nationwide.