Govt. continues on its ruthless path toward erasing the past and rewriting history

Jun 19, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am saddened by the contents of an article captioned: “Sweeping changes to West Dem cattle pastures underway” in the June 16, 2010 edition of the Kaieteur News.
Government continues on its ruthless path toward erasing the past and rewriting history, while removing ordinary citizens’ capacity to provide food for their families. There are no moves to modernise the cattle industry and revitalising cattle associations, period. There is glaring evidence of an absence of proper planning which results in the high handed interventions and the erasing and rewriting of history to remove achievements of the PNC Administration and the benefits thereof to the people of this country.
The Government of Guyana under the PNC in the mid 1980s purchased 46 acres of land from the Guyana Sugar Corporation and provided the said lands to the cattle farmers of Leonora. Later, they were encouraged to form themselves into the Leonora Cattle Farmers Cooperative Society Limited and have since continued to operate on the said lands within the framework of the law. This Coop currently has no less than 60 active members in the catchment area. These are poor people with large families.
Not so long ago, the PRCSSP through a project intervention, helped to develop these 46 acres of pasture land. The Coop has proudly maintained their pasture and can boast of having the best pasture in Guyana.
The intention is to take away those lands in the name of education. In the process the landscape change is intended to remove from memory the accomplishments started in the 1980s even though people’s economic situations will be messed up in the process. For the PPP, that is a non-issue.
The article says: “In addition, the Leonora Cattle Pasture may be relocated due to increasing demands for educational and recreational facilities for youths within Leonora and surrounding communities.” What utter nonsense! The Leonora and surrounding communities have not grown in population in the last decade and more! Even if it did, why did the Government sell the old Leonora Estate Senior Staff Compound after allowing it to fall into ruin over the years? Why do they not declare to whom and at what price was that property sold? Why did the Government not see last year that there was a need for educational and recreational facilities when it was packaging the Leonora Estate Senior Staff Compound for sale? It would be interesting to find out when the tender for the sale of that property was advertised and in what media. It will be equally interesting to have a declaration with respect to the bidders and their bids as well as the basis for the award.
There are several recreational facilities which were constructed and have never been used! The one at Belle View is an example. Others are not being maintained. The Leonora Park next to the 46-acre plot is another example.
If the Government is allowed to get away with relieving the Leonora Cattle Farmers of their land, nothing will stop them from doing the same to other farmers, even as they trumpet the call to “Grow More Food”.
I say, leave the people’s land alone. Allow them to enjoy what was given to them to empower them to provide for their families. Stop this madness. Plan properly and for the long term. Establish a land use policy to guide futuristic developmental programmes. Ensure that the implementation of such programmes is with minimal interference with the lives of people.
Mervyn Williams, MP

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