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Mahdia residents remain resolute in their demands
Though they have dropped their placards and ceased marching in the streets, the residents of Mahdia, Region Eight are standing fast in their calls for Government to repair their roads and address the electricity situation.
The protestors on Monday
On Monday about 150 residents of the Potaro/Siparuni community took to the streets to vent their frustration after repeated calls to the Government for improvements in the road, water and regional health care system proved futile.
For two days, the demonstrators marched near the headquarters of the Regional Administration and even placed a barrier along the airstrip access road, demanding development in the Region.
On Tuesday, Alliance for Change (AFC) Councillor in Region Eight, Niem Mohammed Gafoor, was arrested.
Members of the police force’s riot squad were deployed to the area and it was later that afternoon that the protests ceased.
Most of the protestors were gold miners who have threatened to withhold their royalties if the government fails to address the situation immediately.
Despite his arrest, Gafoor and residents of that community remain resolute in the fight for better conditions in Mahdia.
Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday, the Councillor said that the ranks were deployed so as to induce fear but “we will continue protesting but we will be more radical this time. We will no longer be peaceful because the way the Government continues to ignore the people is an act of injustice.”
“This is a country where people are suffering. The President and the Government have people bowing on their knees but it’s time for the people to stand up and have better lives. The Government needs to respect Guyanese and stop treating us like we are dogs,” he stressed.
“Guyanese keep suffering while all the people in the PPP are eyeing that fat pension. This country is not poor but they are only looking to gain and they should be ashamed. It is an injustice to humanity. Good people need to make sacrifices for a nation to benefit.”
Gafoor claimed that the heads of departments in Region Eight do not understand the needs of the people; particularly the children plagued by a failing education system.
Meanwhile, Regional Chairman, Mark Crawford told Kaieteur News that the protest has been paused to explore other options.
He revealed that the miners have not changed their minds and will not be sending gold to the gold board until changes are made.
“It was a peaceful protest, no one was violent or anything. On Tuesday morning police ranks from the Riot Squad was sent in here. We were protesting the water and the road and police came in from over 200 miles away,” Crawford recapped.
He views that move as a form of intimidation and said that if the Government was responsible, the services of a construction company at Mango Landing (about 23 miles from Mahdia) would have been utilized to improve the standard of the roads.
“When you look at the state of the roads, one would expect that they would have emergency works done but instead they sent in a riot squad to stop the protest. This is a way to tell us to “shut up and accept what we have” unless we want to be shot the way the people in Linden were,” Crawford lamented.
The Chairman said “The miners will not be selling gold to the gold board. They know it is not best for the country but the Government needs to do something first. They have been disrespectful to the people but they (the people) are prepared to stand up for their rights.”
According to Crawford, the residents do not want the situation to escalate but if no government official visits the area or no plan is disclosed within the next couple of days, they will continue advocating for better living standards.
He told Kaieteur News that the residents have planned a meeting to discuss the way forward, especially since the police have said that they must have approval before they protest.
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