Man 83, woman 68, join Ray Daggers on day 7 of walk against “barefaced” Exxon Contract

May 11, 2023 News

…continues today from Coldingen, ECD

Kaieteur News – Two senior citizens on Wednesday joined Ray Daggers on his walk from Berbice to Essequibo against the lopsided oil contract Guyana signed with ExxonMobil in 2016.

Ray daggers and his team posing for a group photo after completing day seven at Coldingen, ECD 1

Deonauth Ramphal(right) with his placard joining Ray Daggers’ walk at Mahaica, ECD

One of the elderly citizens, 83-year-old Quin Anderson, started off with Daggers around 09:00hrs from Fairfield Mahaicony- from where he left off on day 6- and walked a few villages before calling it a day. Anderson said that he spent some time working in the shipping industry abroad and witnessed the western world paying millions in bribes to exploit the African Nations. He believes corruption is taking place in Guyana at large scale too “but it is just that we don’t know as yet.” “The bigger you are, the more crooked you are,” Anderson said as he sought to explain how corrupt the Guyanese leaders might be when it comes to managing the country’s resources especially in the oil sector.

As Daggers continued his journey to Georgetown, he was greeted by Deonauth Ramphal, a Mahaica resident waiting by the road side to join him in the walk with a large placard with the words: “We want full coverage insurance” and “We demand 50 percent royalty”.

From there Daggers and his team walked into the De Hoop Village, Mahaica and stopped in the market for a short while where Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall urged the people there to join the walk and to fight for a change of the ExxonMobil Contract before continuing the journey. A few villages down another man, Lennox Fordyce, a resident from the West Coast of Demerara joined in the walk to support.

He told Kaieteur News that he is an overseas-based Guyanese who happens to be visiting the country for a few days. After learning of the walk for a better oil deal, Fordyce got up early Wednesday and traveled from the West Coast of Demerara and dropped off in Mahaica to wait for Daggers so that he could join the walk. Daggers and his team continued their trek where they were joined by more persons from Bee Hive on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) but it was a 68-year-old, Glendis Caldera who stole the hearts of the walkers when she joined at Paradise Village, ECD. She said, “If he (Daggers) at 65 can do it then I at 68 and can do it too.”

According to Caldera, she is walking for the future of her grandchildren and greatchildren. She walked with Daggers a few miles until he called it the end of day seven after reaching Coldingen on the East Coast of Demerara. Daggers began his walk on Thursday last at Moleson Creek, East Corentyne Berbice. Yesterday accompanied by Lall and some of his staff for the seventh consecutive day, Daggers walked a total of 17 miles. So far, he has covered a distance of 118 miles at an average 16.8 miles per day.

His final destination is Charity on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two and he wants to complete the journey in 12 to 13 days but with a healthy walking average, he is well on track to do it in less time. Born in Mahaicony, Daggers lived for quite some time overseas but kept in touch with what was happening back home. Daggers said he was inspired to undertake the walk against the Exxon contract by the unrelenting efforts by Lall, who has been fighting for a change to the Exxon contract. “Mr. Lall has been putting forth the facts and he has done so without any help from government agencies, but with the help of his staff, and he has been providing a great service to this nation,” Daggers had said before setting out on his walk.

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83-year-old Quin Anderson, Coldingen, ECD, Fairfield Mahaicony-, Glen Lall, Kaieteur News, protest, Walk

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