Dear Editor,

Essequibo must no longer be regarded as the Cinderella County. It can no longer be regarded as second or third to Demerara and /or Berbice. It is a very important county and is as important as the other two.

President Jagdeo and his government are emphasising development in this area - Education, Health, Water, Social Services, Drainage and Irrigation and Roads among others.

Essequibo and many riverain and hinterland regions were neglected in the past administration. Whatever little money was spent was done in Region 4 (Demerara) and the rest of the country including Essequibo was largely ignored.

President Jagdeo in his recent visit to Essequibo met thousands of residents in the different communities and as he pointed out to them the elections are over and it is not a question of PPP and PNC now.

People of all races and political persuasion took the opportunity to meet their President and share their concerns, hopes and aspirations as he did with them.

According to what the President said in his many meetings emphasis is being placed on the accelerated provision of all public services in the region so residents do not have to undertake long and expensive journeys to Georgetown for the most basic services such as birth and death certificates, passports, income tax transactions and many other things for which an expensive and time-consuming trip to Georgetown is now necessary. The elimination of this will obviously be welcome by the residents.

Education on which the President has placed great emphasis will be enhanced with the provision of new and refurbished schools and he has urged the residents to see that the facilities are taken good care of and properly used and that children be sent to school. As he said "Education is vital in this new century and in today's world, and if you have a sound education, you will be successful in life."

The people were very happy to welcome their President and look forward to the accelerated development of their region and improvement and enhancement of their quality of life.