Vote, attend meetings, take charge of your communities – Min. Hughes urges 

With less than six hours remaining before the polls are closed, persons are being urged to make the time to vote.

There has been a slow rate of voter turnout across the country at the Local Government Elections (LGE), the second elections after more than a decade.

Many persons are not familiar with the process nor do they understand the importance of these elections.

Several persons who reside at the Diamond/Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) have related to the News Room that it makes “no sense” to vote because “nothing will change.”

As such, Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes believes the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) needs to do more to sensitise the public.

“Before the political parties go and say ‘our candidate is the best’… people should be sensitized,” Minister Huges explained to the media moments after casting her ballot at the Providence Primary School, East Bank Demerara.

Hughes says citizens need to elect someone who is going to “work for your community”.

“They [citizens] have to get to the stage to know how much is budgeted for their area and they must know that the first Monday in every month is a statutory meeting and anyone can go. Citizens must start to ask questions,” Hughes, who is also an Executive Member of the Alliance For Change (AFC) noted.

Citizens must find out how much money is allocated to their areas, the Minister explained, noting that they can make demands on how the funds should be spent.

Less than 50 per cent of the total registered voters in the country participated in the LGE in 2016.