An urgent appeal for intervention at the Parika Marketing Centre
Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter in disgust and frustration over the current situation at the Parika Marketing Centre. I am a businessman who operates a gold business in the market, and, for several years now, I am operating at a loss, and I believe this is partly due to the actions of the persons who are responsible for the administration of the Marketing Centre, and Region 3 as a whole.
The current state of the market after ten months of construction (photo by Robin Salim)
The market has been in a deplorable state for some years now, and several persons who own stalls were forced to close their businesses. The authorities are allowing persons to ply their trade on the road, to the detriment of the persons who operate inside the market. This has resulted in several persons going out of business over the years.
The authorities promised they would rebuild the market and bring back some order in its operation. It is now some ten months since they started the works to fix the market, and, to date, only some posts and frame of the roof have been constructed. The roofs of several stalls are leaking, and the market is like a ghost town, as shoppers are not coming in due to persons occupying the roadways.
We have complained to several Government Ministers who have visited the marketing centre, and even though they have promised to rectify the problem, no action has been taken so far. Representatives of the Government in this region have forgotten why they have been elected to office. They have become complacent, and I am asking the higher authorities in Government to intervene and bring the situation under control.
I am making an impassioned appeal to President Irfaan Ali, who seems to have the interest of the people at heart, to come and listen to the business persons in the market, and to find a solution to the problem. The President has been very proactive to solve the problems of persons in various communities across Guyana, but he has not been afforded the opportunity to visit the Parika Marketing Centre for some years now.
Please, Mr President, businesses are suffering, and we are hoping that a solution could be found soon.
