Latest update May 13th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 07, 2013 News
…dodges Highbury Arrival Day celebration
“Our President of today is not man enough to stand up to his promise and responsibility to the nation to represent us ….and he is depriving us of our democracy in this country. Freedom of speech should be our rights and we will not stop protesting until we get a new road,” said one protestor.
“Where the cocaine going? Highbury!”; “Where the baby born? On the road!”; “What we want? A brand new road!” Those were some of the passionate chants voiced in anger as once again emotions ran high along the East Bank Berbice (EBB) corridor on Sunday.
The people were protesting the dilapidated state of the contentious roadway. As word about a protest, burning of a wooden bridge and possible blockade of the road got around on Saturday, there was a heightened police presence along the roadway yesterday.
The protestors gathered along one of the more dilapidated portions at Edinburgh and vented their frustrations. However, they did not block the road or burn bridges.
They chose Arrival Day because of the high traffic on the road caused by several hundred persons traveling through the corridor to attend the 175th Anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana at Plantation Highbury. And residents eagerly waited for President Donald Ramotar to pass. They thought that he would, again just as on May 5, last year, see their sufferings and pains about the need for a new East Bank Berbice road.
However, they were disappointed to learn that Mr. Ramotar chose not to attend this year’s celebrations at Highbury, but to go to Albion Sports Complex yesterday for the Indian Arrival Day celebrations. His replacement to the Highbury event, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Dr. Frank Anthony simply drove past the area.
The angry residents stated that they did not see or know when Region Six Chairman passed, as many opined that the officials may have covertly passed through the area.
The group of persons who gathered along the roadway criticized the government for “sending” police officers with guns and tear- gas.
Nurse Carol France was angry. “They sent a truck with tear gas to destroy the residents. This is the kind of government we serving and living under. We want Mr. Clement Rohee to hear this. The police are not maintaining law and order in this country; instead they are making people’s democracy become nothing in this country.
“Freedom to protest is freedom of democracy. This morning we didn’t come out to burn bridges or block roads like the people of Black Bush. In Port Mourant they toppled the Magistrate’s car and there were no police to stop the residents!”
Another resident stated, “We are humble residents who come out this morning to air our views to those who are going to Highbury that they [the officials] can make representation for us in parliament that we can have a new road.
“They sent a set of police with tear gas and this is the doing of Mr. Clement Rohee to destroy the people in this country that we must stay quiet and allow the government to trample on our rights. Our rights are being trampled upon by this present government. The present government of today does not want to stand up for our rights.”
“Twenty- one years of the PPP government and East Bank Berbice residents cannot get a proper road…[the] people in Black Bush get a road, people in New Forest get a road only East Bank Berbice residents don’t have a road!” France argued.
Additionally, the residents argued that every year, the government would do patchwork to the road the day before Arrival Day celebrations so that “they can get to go to Highbury. This morning we said that we will come out and stop people going to Highbury and let them take the message in.
The President refused to go to Highbury at this own Arrival Day because our President of today is not man enough to stand up to his promise and responsibility to the nation to represent us. We cannot allow our President to do this.
The promise made last year on May 5 at the Arrival Day celebrations to Berbicians have angered and disappointed residents and hire car operators of East Bank Berbice. Ramotar promised the gathering on May 5, 2012 that a new road will be constructed and that he was thankful that the opposition did not cut that part of the budget in 2012. He was the main speaker at the Highbury celebrations in 2012.
These were the exact words he said: “And I promise you, it’s [the EBB road] in our budget and fortunately that part of the budget was not cut,” Ramotar said to more applauses and cheers. “We will start the road on the East Bank of Berbice…” and the crowd started to shout “Up to Mara! Up to Mara!” But Ramotar could not have appeased the crowd by promising that the new road will stop at the very end to Mara. “We are trying to go all the way to Mara, but I don’t think we can finish that this year [2012], but a start will be made to ensure that you have a proper road to commute, to produce and to develop within your county here.”
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