Dear Editor,
During the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) term in power, I’ve penned numerous letters pleading for help to combat school dropouts, and the increase in drug usage and crime that is plaguing the village of Zeelugt.
Quite early after the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change acceded to power, I penned letters asking them to consider starting some sort of pilot project but apparently no one took notice. I should mention that the village is pre-dominantly inhabited by East Indian Guyanese.
On Tuesday, March 29, 2018, my sister who operates a pre-school/play school informed me that a “Ms Grey” visited the play school with a group of people claiming they were from the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and instructed her to shut the school down. According to “Ms Grey”, even though there is a toilet outside of the building, my sister was told she has to build one in the school because it is unsanitary for the children and the occupants of the house to use same toilet, even though the house has its own toilet on the upper flat. The drains around the environs have been clogged for quite a while now – compliments of the same NDC – and because of the blockage, water cannot recede fast enough from the drain in the yard. This was an issue for the NDC representatives. When the source of the problem was pointed out, they informed my sister that on Saturday, the drain around the area will be cleaned. In the yard, there is a ‘Christmas’ tree and it is one of the tallest trees of that type in the village and many places I’ve visited. They instructed her to cut the tree even though it poses no threat or has any sign of deterioration. A gutter is not attached to the building and that is another problem that has to be addressed before the school could be reopened, along with my sister having to get a good handlers certificate.
Now, with a fairly new Government that barely acceded to power based on promises to youths that they have not begun to address, I would have been pleased to know that instead of immediately closing the school down, they could have pointed out the faults, provide guidance and give her a time frome within which to rectify the faults.
Instead, under this Administration, we are witnessing people’s jobs being taken away, unemployment increasing and frustration building.
So, my questions is this: is this a case of victimisation because they are in cohort with someone who operates a similar business or are they just out to create hardship for young people who are trying to make an honest living?
Go around the corner and you will see a mechanic’s waste oil in the drains and papers which are damaging the environs. But the NDC is not going there. There are many children liming and not going to school but the welfare officers are not going to investigating that. I have visited the Child Protection Agency’s office at Pouderoyen and made communication with the head office but they never investigated complaints made. But someone who is trying to do something decent for herself and assist the community, they find fault.
Sincerely,
Sahadeo Bates
