“I don’t have any Christmas this year” – Success Squatter

Dec 24, 2020 Features / Columnists, News

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By Renay Sambach

Kaieteur News – “I don’t have Christmas this year… I might send them children to spend the holiday with their grandmother or something.” Those were the words of Pinky Benjamin, who was among the squatters flooded out of the Success area in October.
While other Guyanese were doing their Christmas preparations for the big day, Benjamin was moving back to the Success Squatting Area on the East Coast of Demerara, with her two children — 12-year-old Danielle Benjamin and 14-year-old Wayne Biggins, since they have nowhere else to go.
During an interview with this publication, Benjamin stated that this year has been one to remember due to many challenges she and her family faced.
On December 25 each year, the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians around the world.
Around this time of the year, persons spend time with their family and close friends, cleaning, shopping, feasting, spreading joy and attending Christmas parties. While everyone is in the Christmas spirit, Benjamin said that she was long prepared to enjoy the holiday as much as she can with the little that she has.
“I can’t work and I have nowhere else to go,” the woman shared as noted that while she will miss the Christmas shopping, cleaning and everything else that she is accustomed to during the holidays, she hopes that the new year will bring greater things her way.
Success Squatting Area
Success Squatting Area housed over 100 Squatters and the land is owned by the Guyana Sugar Incorporation (GuySuCo).
Some squatters have been living there for over 17 years. However, in October, GuySuCo made a decision to get rid of the squatters since they want to prepare the land for cultivation, in keeping with the government plans to restart operations at the Enmore Sugar Factory as early as 2022.
How it started
For the past nine months, Benjamin and her family have been living in the Success Squatting Area. According to Benjamin, she was forced to move there after she encountered difficulties in paying rent and still keeping food on the table for her family.
“While Success is not much, it was home and we made the most of living there…I have been living there for the past nine months and living there really helped me because being there, I don’t have rent to pay and the money I earned was used to maintain myself and my family.”
How it was going
“Be grateful for the little you have,” were the words of Benjamin. “I always tell my children to be grateful for whatever they have because in time to come, there is always more,” she added.
Benjamin said that living at Success is “not that bad,” she added that there are a lot of single parents like herself living at Success working “9 to 5” to provide for their children.
Being there made Benjamin feel empowered and kept her going because she wants more for her children and she hopes that one day, they can leave Success and live in their own house together. During the months that she lived there, Benjamin would have never expected what happened next.
Everything changed
Since September, GuySuCo has been trying to get the squatters out of the area.
In October, after the decision was made to flood the land, some squatters vacated the land, but others like Benjamin have since opted to return since they have nowhere else to go.
There was first a standoff between officials from the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), GuySuCo and the squatters. Following that protest action, several others erupted over the following weeks as the squatters maintained that unless they were given lands, they were not moving.
On October 23, things got worse for Benjamin and the other squatters that remained on the land. A tree situated on a dam running east-west fell on Benjamin and seven other squatters who were sitting on a “make-shift” structure nearby.
A ligament in Benjamin’s leg was damaged and her foot was swollen. Due to the injuries, she was unable to do much cleaning. Before her injuries, Benjamin walked and sell vegetables, homemade pepper and even did domestic work.
Hoping for the best
With no electricity or water, Benjamin is determined to spend the holidays at Success until there is another option. “I pray that something good comes out all of this…it is stressful sometimes trying to keep your head above the water,” Benjamin said. “Even though I may not get to spend the Christmas holidays the way I wanted, I will be thankful and contented, sooner or later what is for me will come my way and I believe that,” she said with confidence.

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