Member of Parliament for St. Augustine and Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Khadijah Ameen says she remains an on-the-ground MP even though she now has a Ministerial portfolio.
Speaking at a Disaster Relief Grant Distribution Ceremony for families within the St. Augustine region on Monday, she said being at the Ministry allows her to respond more efficiently, and to see any potential roadblocks to providing service to her constituents. She noted that the results are already being seen.
“This is the first time in a long time that we have had this type of response so soon. The flood was in June, and we are in November, and we are here with some of our flood victims. In the past we would wait for a year or more. Sometimes you are not even sure you would get a call. So this is a good sign.”
Minister Ameen commended residents for acting selflessly during difficult times and for opting to help others before helping themselves.
Minister of the People, Social Development and Family Services, Vandana Mohit, said this is the first of many such exercises the Ministry will be embarking on in the flood-affected Tunapuna region, but not the only one across the country.
Minister Mohit announced that a new era of fairness, accuracy, and transparency has arrived for relief and resetting.
“Disaster relief in the past arrived when the need had already deepened into distress. But this administration is determined to break with that history. When you needed us, we acted swiftly. When you reached out, we responded. When you called for help, we showed up. That is what people-centred governance demands.”