“Quasi-political” Ramayya takes up office as REO

…gets a bigger piece of the pie – Nagamootoo

Political activist Dr Veerasammy Ramayya on Tuesday took up office as the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) replacing Paul Ramrattan who was fired by the David Granger Administration and demitted office on Monday.

Ramayya who one month ago used the media to signal his intentions to Alliance For Change (AFC) officials to resign from the party citing neglect and his dissatisfaction over the way things were being done, recently said his resignation was from the AFC) and not from the Government.

“And that was a spontaneous move because I was promised to go back and do the things that I really want to do and that is to serve the people. I was offered a job in Parliament and I said ‘No, I don’t want to go in Georgetown’, then the Prime Minister also asked me to work with him, ‘I said no, it is not something lucrative that I am looking forward to. I want a job that I can be on the field seven days per week.”

He was at the time speaking at a Government outreach held at Whim on Saturday which Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said was held to inform Berbicians that Ramayya had been chosen as the new REO, although the media had broken the news more than 48-hours before.

Nagamootoo speaking at Saturday’s meeting on the issue of Government’s decision to make Ramayya the new REO, said the past was being left behind.

“Maybe I was a little too rash and gave him too small a piece of the pie and so we discussed and reviewed the situation. I remember that he always said that he wanted to be placed in a position where he could serve the people of Region Six and so I was appointing him the Prime Minister’s representative in Berbice, but I realised that that would probably limit him and so he is now identified as the REO and for the next four months of this year, Dr Ramayya has Gy$260 million to spend with the Regional Chairman and the Regional Council.”

He told the gathering that Berbicians ought to put pressure on the Administration in order that Gy$260 million in services is delivered to the people of Berbice.

Ramayya said he was told of Government’s decision to make him the new REO more than a week ago. “And I did consider that that will be an opportunity for me to touch every part of Berbice from Mara to Orealla. I intend not to work five days a week, but seven days a week in every community.”

Meanwhile immediately after entering his office at Vrymen’s Erven New Amsterdam, Ramayya held a meeting with Regional Chairman David Armogan, Deputy REO (Finance) Imran Ally and Deputy REO Bhadase Poonai to look at some of the immediate projects to be undertaken and the strategies that he will implement.