Berbicians told how the AFC sees it

Sep 17, 2009 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Alliance for Change (AFC) chairman, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan believes that the government had a hidden agenda with regards to the ousting of the Mormon Missionaries here recently.
On a live programme last Saturday in Berbice, he said that government is sending away the missionaries to prevent neutralization within the Amerindian communities.
His second theory involves the President’s upcoming trip to Iran.
He said that Mr. Jagdeo “goes around begging all the countries for help” and when he arrives in Iran – a state which abhors Americans and their policies — he will tell Ahemnajad that he “kicked some American asses in Guyana”, and so the aid to Guyana will flow.
His final theory as to the ousting of the American missionaries deals with the belief that soon, senior government officials will be indicted in the U.S., and so the excuse for the indictments by the government here would be the revenge on Guyana by the U.S. because their missionaries were kicked out the country.
Sheila Holder, who also was on the show, stated that the police in Guyana are like vultures and predators.
The joint panel agreed that the police are holding up drivers at police stations for eight and nine hours, sometimes overnight, for petty and silly offences.
This they said expresses the deliberate wanting of bribes by traffic cops. They said that the senior officers must set traps, as done in the past, for the junior officers. Ramjattan said that the police force must find a way to police itself as well.
Supporter of the AFC Dr. Ramayya stated that the traffic police are hiding in bus-sheds and behind trees and other objects near the road only to jump out on the road to point radar guns and stop drivers.
This he said should not be, since it causes drivers to be in surprise and a state of shock whilst driving.
The panelists said that there are no speed limit signs on the roads in Berbice and so drivers are put at a disadvantage. The police, they agreed, can then capitalize on this and charge drivers for breaking the speed limits of which they have no idea about.
During the past year, numerous speed limit signs and direction arrows were strewn right across New Amsterdam to the Corentyne by the contracting firm from Trinidad. After a few weeks, the signs were being knocked down one by one on the roads.
I had written a letter on that situation. Today, there are hardly speed limit signs on the road. School children and people were seen hanging on the signs and shaking them. Many of the signs have fallen down and removed from the roads.
Ms Holder said that a group of people from Orealla had boycotted the Heritage Day celebrations recently due to their dissatisfaction on certain issues there.
She held up a copy of the SN (02-09-09) to display a photograph on the front page of a recent edition to show that, except for one of the Amerindian dancers, the rest were brought in by the government from Suriname to partake in the Heritage day celebrations due to the immense boycott of villagers of that community.
She also said that the government bussed an entire entourage from Mara (a village on the East Bank of the Berbice River) to fill the chairs at the event, because the event had suffered a boycott from Orealleans.
Ramjattan, speaking on the recently rigged elections in that community, said “Under the Amerindian Act, Zulfi (Chairman) and (Denis) Deroop (Vice Chairman of Region 6), had no concern to do elections at Orealla. If they had one sense of decency they wouldn’t have interfered and rigged the elections.
They set the system (electoral) for their boy De Vair”. He spoke at length of the interference by the two regional officials in the Orealla officials whereby they protested the running of one John King on the election ticket. Somehow they ended up getting who they wanted to run the Amerindian reservation, grabbing the post of Toshao, much to the anger of villagers and the AFC.
The matter, he said is still engaging the court of law. Ramjattan said that the PPP is starting to rig elections. “The PPP is doing badly on the ground”.
He mentioned that the government is retaliating against the Kaieteur News for their exposing journalism. “They are cussing out (Steve) Surujbally.
The PPP have mischief in the planning. They want to delay elections (Local Govt.) to hold one big election in 2011. They don’t want the electorate to see the support waning (if Local Govt. elections were held shortly). They want to put pressure and run out Surujbally.
The President did not provide the funds for De la Rue to print the I.D. Cards. It is mischief afoot. These people have an evil side to them”.
He mentioned that the AFC is a non- profit organisation which is accountable to the Registrar of Companies and the Revenue Authority unlike the other two main political parties.
He furthered that the AFC had written the Norweigan Government about the Low Carbon Development Strategy and has received a response.
A team from that government will be meeting shortly with the AFC to elaborate on discussions. He disagreed that the funds gained by Guyana from the strategy should be put to use in the Office of the President which he says is not accountable just like the Lotto Funds.
Ms Holder stated that upon touring Region Six last Saturday (12-09-09), she heard the cries of farmers of Manchester who claimed that their canals were not dug for the last 30 years.
A visibly upset Holder chided the Regional Chairman for his “discrimination” towards the people of Manchester and Liverpool (predominantly African populated villages). She uttered a call to end racial discrimination by the Chairman and his RDC to the people of the two aforementioned villages.
L. S.

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