‘Devine’ intervention

CHAIRMAN OF THE REGION TEN TOURISM COMMITTEE, MR. DEVINE SEARS
HAS DISTANCED HIMSELF AND HIS GROUP FROM THE CONTROVERSY over the
lack of financial accountability to the municipality following the annual ‘Linden Town Week’
completed some five months ago.
The opposition legislator told www.aroundtheregions.com in an exclusive Monday that the
tourism committee collaborated with the Linden Town Council (LTC) in three of the 30
activities comprising the week of celebrations to honour the once-thriving bauxite-mining town.
In this year’s commemorative town week event, Sears, the office of Mayor Waneka Arrindell,
and Town Clerk, Orleena Obermuller were the principal personnel. When Lindeners demanded
accountability after their five-month silence, the trio pleaded ignorance.
Livid residents reminded www.aroundtheregions.com that week of activities isn’t a private
venture, and as such the organisers have a responsibility to give them accurate feedback.
They recalled that pre-event advertisement was abundant, but secrecy followed its completion.
But Sears intervened and broke his silence.
“The way that they (Town Council members) are operating is as though they are a private
business (entity) so whatever they do there is no need to account to the people for monies spent
or made. This cannot continue as it’s time residents start demanding better from their leaders,” a
resident told this media house in an earlier interview.
MP Sears was apologetic for his belated submission of reports for the three activities the
Tourism Committee was officially part of. He reiterated that his body cannot account for the
other 27 activities.
“You will have to contact the mayor’s office for reports on the other activities,” the MP advised.

“Linden Town Week 2021 was not going to happen (this year) at least based on what I was told
because of the short time frame and…the coronavirus. However, with the Tourism Committee
executing tourism month awareness activities last year during the pandemic, and provided that
we have certain protocols in place, we were approached to see how we can guide the process of
executing Linden Town Week and so we did. There were only three things that we primarily
collaborated on with the Linden Mayor and Town Council and that was Marketing and
Advertising of which I took the sole burden of producing flyers. The ads were done pro bono.
When it comes to the business expo because it was similar to what we did in Tourism Awareness
month last year November, the same model was used following the same protocols and
guidelines. There were some helps given to the project from Banks DIH and the RDC,” Sears
said in the exclusive.
“The other event which was the flyover was done…as a private event but it still was a part of
Linden Town Week and that in itself ran up into a lot of expenses because we did not receive any
sponsorship for it,” Sears explained.
In his intervention, The Region 10 Tourism Committee head pointed out that while the Linden
Town Week is an excellent tourism product, the Mayor and Town Council is ill-equipped to
organise and effectively execute such a major event.
“The only reason why we decided to collaborate in a limited extent with the Town Council is
because Linden needed some economic stimulation especially based on what is happening. The
other events which is the bird whistling and cycling and these things I cannot speak to those,”
MP Sears explained.
The annual affair is usually run by the Social Development Committee of the Upper
Demerara/Berbice Linden Mayor and Town Council headed by Councillor Laurence Simon.
This year however, there was lukewarm responses and non-involvement of several Councillors,
Sears said.
“It’s such a sad thing that it is Town Council event but only a very few councillors paid interest
in having it as a success, and I will raise this publicly,” the legislator promised.
Sears is mystified by the lack of enthusiasm displayed by Mayor and Town Council elected
officials and wondered whether it was ever on the agenda of its monthly meetings.

“This event is being held annually, so at some point it must have come up in council to say
that it’s on…because it’s being used to commemorate the Town’s Anniversary. So,
Councillors should have been fully involved. They should have been fully informed about
what is happening,” Sears declared.