An in-depth look at the Mocha standoff and Peters Hall impasse

Dear Editor,
It is very important to review, analyze, or whatever the term one would like to use in regard to the situation that surfaced in the Mocha standoff and with the citizen in the Peters Hall impasse.
Certain key issues are glaringly similar, which makes for an educated discussion of these two matters. At this point, I must emphatically say that it is my sincere hope that the Peters Hall matter would reach a peaceable conclusion by the time this letter is published. I do hope that good sense prevails, and things are amicably settled.
Now, let us review the Mocha standoff. This was a civil land matter that should have been dealt with civilly; that is, the parties should have come together to thrash things out in a civilized manner. However, that was not to be, the results show that things might very well be headed for another embarrassing showdown.
This is the problem the Government has to face from time to time with a particular group of individuals, when it comes to the acquisition of lands that have been occupied legally or illegally. We are talking here of persons being influenced by the usual political elements in society, who would encourage landowners to inordinately increase their prices, believing that they are to be treated differently from other property owners.
These political functionaries always infiltrate gullible minds with their nonsensical ideas of earning a windfall, which eventually leads to the Government having to use force to evict them.
I must pause here to mention this: from my legal research on the squatters at Mocha, the Government was not legally bound to find separate lodgment for all the members of that household. They could have built a single apartment-type building to house every family there. In legal layman’s terms, “We leave you the same way we found you.”
However, what transpired was a caring Government relocating them in separate houses, affording them a more comfortable living.
Lessons learned from both cases are that a peaceful alternative, rather than a confrontational alternative, is most welcome; hostile and belligerent engagements bring poor results. Leave politics and other extraneous matters out of your discussions, and shun the political actors of the day whose sole aim is only to create trouble.
Like the Bible says, “Come and let’s reason together,” it is called the meeting of the minds. The Barbadian singer, in her lyrics, expressly states, “The fussin and the fighting and the war must be done, the war must done, and leh we live as one.” Let us move forward in togetherness, “One Guyana” is the team’s theme.

Respectfully,
Neil Adams