The Cinderella narrative has not changed

Aug 19, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

The Cinderella county (Essequibo) continues to be a place rarely visited by Govt. ministers, this is construed as a sign of neglect by the residents and in this void local public officials continue to function in corrupt ways.
A few months ago, Local Govt. Minister, Dharamlall held a meeting with the Anna Regina Town Council and stall holders of the Anna Regina Market. At that meeting it was decided that all and sundry would desist from vending on the roadway in the vicinity of the old Anna Regina Market and stall holders will take up their stalls in Cotton Field New Market where the Govt. had spent millions of dollars to accommodate them. To this date, no one complied.
On Fridays, vendors continue to block the roadways, creating chaos for commuters. Shoppers would always go where the vendors are! Unless every vendor is removed from the roadway, cries of favouritism will prevail. I wonder how well thought out was the Govt’s plan to build the new market half a mile away from the old market for essentially the same reason (stop the chaos created by vending on the roadway) and the town council seems powerless to attain this objective. The result is that stalls in the new market are languishing for want of occupants, while Friday’s continue to be mayhem on the road.
Adding insult to injury – it is rumoured that some councillors had instructed their favourite vendors not to move. Even Mayor Prabulall seems complicit, not having made any attempt to execute the resolution made by the council and vendors three months ago to stop vending on the roadways. There seems to be little the minister can do, the mayor has jurisdiction in his township.
Two weeks ago, a resident from Somerset on the coast told me that he was served a notice by the Chairman of the Charity/Urasa NDC to remove his rice farming implement from the parapet in front his house while his neighbour is allowed to occupy his parapet. This resident contention is that what goes for one should go for all and quite rightly so.
A while ago a rice farmer told me that after the PPP got back into office the regional administration parked the bulldozers that the APNU Govt. were using to fix the dams for farmers to harvest their crop and give out contracts to repair the dams. Someone from Affiance was given the contract to do the dam in Bounty Hall where this farmer has his rice field. This farmer had to use his tractor to repair the dam to ensure that his crop could be harvested on time. His contention – he did the work while someone else collected pay, compliments of the PPP big wigs at the regional office. Space does not permit me more examples.
These actions by the regional officials are causing the people to lose faith in the Government.

Yours truly,
Rudolph Singh

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