Outraged at government’s double standard

Apr 27, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

The residents of Port Mourant are outraged and appalled by the government’s double standards. On the one hand, the Attorney General is reported to have said that it is illegal to encumber the public reserves, inclusive of road shoulders, embankments, pedestrian walks, government reserves and State reserves. But on the other hand, the PPPC-controlled local authorities and Regions are encouraging illegal occupation of public reserves.

A case in point is the no-objections granted for the establishment of a barbershop on the parapets across from the Port Mourant Health Centre. The residents had petitioned the Johns/Port Mourant Neighbourhood Democratic Council, objecting to the establishment of the barbershop.

The residents are not aware of any public hearings by the John/Port Mourant Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) into the establishment of this barbershop. But word is that the NDC, the Regional Democratic Council and Guyana Sugar Corporation have all given no-objections.

Public reserves in Port Mourant are now being authorised (by no-objections rather than formal permits) for creating barbershop chains. Surely, if those concerned have the resources to establish such chains, they can afford to rent commercial business space. But why go to all that trouble when permission can be had to squat on public reserves?

What next? Will the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) connect this barbershop to its grid even though it is on a parapet? Will the Guyana Water Inc. provide this ‘squatter’ with access to water? Will the police take action against the young men who normally assemble near such establishments to molest our young girl children? Will the public health authorities approve of the operations of the barbershop?

It is unfair to ask residents to now incur hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to stop this occupation of a public reserve, a practice which the Attorney General has already deemed as unlawful.

The President is hereby requested to investigate this matter, especially in light of allegations that one of his Ministers intervened, on behalf of the barbershop, to facilitate a no-objection.

Concerned Citizen

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