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…sees tourism as one area to stimulate growth, empowerment
By Naomi Marshall
Although youths make up some 50 percent of Guyana’s population, they have not been included and represented enough in the country’s decision making spaces, such as parliament, over the years.
However, first-time A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) + Alliance for Change (AFC) Member of Parliament, Devin Sears is on a mission to inspire and empower the youths of Region 10.
Sears was born in Takama, Upper Demerara/Berbice but grew up in Linden where he took up the role of a leader from a tender age. The strong believer in Christ got baptized at age 11 and became a Sunday school teacher, worship leader, and even preached the gospel.
He became Head Prefect at the New Silver City Secondary School at age 15, and also started leading several organisations, including ‘For the children sake foundation’ which he is a co-founder of.
After years of talking politics with his father, at just 21-year-old, Sears decided to have a taste of politics and would explore both the People National Congress and the People’s Progressive Party. In both parties the young man felt as though he did not fit in, as such, he decided to join the AFC which he believed represented all Guyanese and was focused on providing opportunities for young people to grow and develop. “The reason why I got involved in politics is because many times as young people, we stay on the sideline and we keep complaining about what is not going right with the system and the government but instead of sitting back I got involved in the process to be the change,” Sears said.
As time went by, Sears went from being the General Secretary of the Youth Arm For Change, Organizing Secretary for the AFC’s Region 10 Management Committee, and Vice Chairman and Chairman of AFC’s Region 10 Chapter.
He also served as a councilor from 2016 to 2018 at the Linden Mayor and Town Council, and was appointed Member of Parliament in 2020.
Since making his maiden speech at Guyana’s 2020 National Budget Debate, the father of two has been highlighting projects in Region 10 that have been overlooked by the government including having access to land and the need for more affordable houses being offered to “poor people”.
He told Village Voice News, “The government has its work programme but I think it is leaving out persons who are vulnerable and in poverty that need homes. There are a lot of other squatting areas in Block 22 and Wisroc that need regularisation. Those areas need potable water and electricity.”
Sears added, “Given the current economic state of Region 10 we will not like to see the increase in the electricity tariff because we are not getting much investments and economic returns in Linden so we cannot afford an increase in the electricity tariff, it would be a burden. So we are maintaining that the government needs to uphold the subvention given to the electricity company yearly.”
The 35-year-old told this publication that he is focused on pushing youth development and sustainable tourism in Region 10. In attempt to foster youth development in the Region, Sears will be executing several youth programmes during the remainder of 2021 that will focus on investment, innovation, empowerment and invention.
Additionally, Sears who is passionate about tourism believes that sustainable tourism is an avenue the ‘small man’ can benefit from.
The young man who is the Chairman of the Region 10 Tourism Committee said that the committee is using tourism as an alternative source of income for persons whose community once depended on the gold and forestry sector for employment.
“Tourism is not for one person to benefit from so we are trying to work with people from the communities which will put money in people’s pockets because we know the gold industry and forestry sectors and all the traditional sources of income that villages depended on are not there like before so we are finding alternatives for them and this is one of the ways they can earn money.”
Meanwhile, Sears’ hope is that Region 10 maintains its unity; persons in power put the people first and politics second, and that the Administrative Arm and Legislative Arm of the Region would work together to ensure progress takes place in Region 10.
“The problem we have in this town is that the Administrative Arm is controlled by Central Government and it is the executing arm and sometimes what we find is that a lot of the decisions made by the Legislative Arm are not executed by the Administrative Arm and that is affecting progress in the Region,” he explained.
“One of the greatest things that I would want to see is that we separate politics from development. Until we do that, Linden and Region 10 will be in the same position despite whichever government goes into power. The people should be first priority,” he added.
Furthermore, Sears called on the Government of Guyana to make representation for greater investments to enter Region 10 given the fact that there is the Linden to Lethem road being done and a deep water port situated in the region.
He also made a call for the Copyright Law to be amended so that artistes would be able to reap their royalties.
Sears noted, “We have great artiste and producers in Region 10 who have been producing quality music. The artistes need to start getting what they deserve and start benefiting from royalties. Some of these artistes are doing this not for fun but because they are seeing in the long run that if they develop their art now, they will benefit later on.”
The young leader said that the youths need to understand that they have they control their destiny and this country’s destiny.
Sears noted, “Do not stay on the sideline, do not take things for granted, do not say that because I am young I do not have a voice. You are the future. The sacrifice made by those that came before us was one that was paid so that we can enjoy life, this country and its resources and we have to play a role in maintaining that.”
