Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 15, 2008 News
It is common knowledge that Le Repentir Cemetery has fallen into a depressing state of disregard and disrepair. Over the years it has been more than a cemetery; it has been a dumping ground for old vehicles, refuse and even the odd bodies of murder victims. It has also been used as a location for the perpetration of rape, assault and murder.
Kaieteur News has found that while the incidence of rapes and murders in Le Repentir has decreased, there is still some criminal activity in the cemetery. The petty crimes include snatching valuables from the hapless wanderer or persons visiting the cemetery, as well as bicycle theft, as the cyclist rides through.
Some of the workers at Le Repentir have explained that the cemetery is often used as an escape route for criminals.
“Dem does thief people ting pun de road and run through de burial ground,” explained one of the workers who added that the lack of lighting encourages thieves to make their escape through the facility, or lie in wait for persons who use the cemetery as a shortcut between home and work.
Many victims say that the unkempt nature of the cemetery also plays a significant role in the crimes that are committed there.
“De place so rundown and bruck up, nobody does pass there,” said a man living nearby, “so if yuh wan do something bad, de cemetery is de best place. Nobody gun see yuh.”
One woman said that she dares not travel that road after sundown.
The dense undergrowth, or the ‘jungle’ as one of the cemetery workers referred to it, is in dire need of cutting. The tangled mass of grass and bushes apparently acts as a thriving breeding ground for all sorts of snakes, lizards and alligators.
Some of the workers, who claim to have been working at Le Repentir for decades, said that back in the 1980s there was regular and ongoing weeding. These exercises have since stopped. The same workers have said that due to the criminal elements who loiter around the cemetery, they have taken to moving in groups, rather than individually.
City Mayor, Hamilton Green, in an invited comment, noted that while it was true that the cemetery was in a dismal state, the primary reason was the lack of funding which the Mayor & City Council (M&CC) has been facing for the longest while.
According to Mayor Green, Le Repentir has been earmarked for rehabilitation for some 15 years, but this still has not seen commencement, due to the lack of funds. The Mayor said that at one point the M&CC had hatched the idea of taking a loan from an international organisation, like the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to facilitate the rehabilitation of the cemetery.
This is, however, not possible unless the Government lends some assistance, said Green.
“The Government does not seem to be interested.”
However, the Mayor cited the removal of bees, and the clearing of some of the canals in the cemetery as some of the works the M&CC had embarked upon.
Also within the confines of Le Repentir Cemetery is the mortuary, which is at present like the rest of the burial ground — literally falling apart. Some sections of the roof have caved in, and many of the windows have been broken. Bush and other vegetation are growing in, on and around the building.
However, the doors are still padlocked; a symbol from a time long gone, when there was need to restrict unsavoury entities from entering the mortuary. A lone watchman also guards the decrepit building, seemingly from any further vandalism.
Some of the cemetery workers have estimated that the mortuary has not been functioning for some three to four years, and the effects of the wear of that time have made their mark on the structure.
No word has yet been heard as whether or not the mortuary will be rehabilitated or whether it will be left to collapse.
There were plans to privatise the mortuary but no affirmative action has yet been taken. When questioned about this, the Mayor said that a businessman from Barbados showed interest in taking over the mortuary and in setting up a crematorium. He is still to make that expressed interest become a reality.
Mayor Green said that local businessmen were also given the opportunity to make bids concerning the facility, but the turnout was not up to standard.
He added that the council was doing as much as it could do, considering its limited finances and the lack of material resources.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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