President greeted by protesters during Berbice visit

President David Granger was on Wednesday greeted by protesting former sugar workers as he arrived in Corriverton, Berbice to deliver an address on Local Government Elections (LGE).
The dismissed workers were protesting for their severance pay without further delay. The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) closed the Skeldon and Rose Hall Sugar Estates in December last year and has since only paid the workers half of their severance.
The disgruntled former workers, who were also supported by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regional representatives, also used the opportunity to

protest over the poor performance of the Skeldon Hospital.
“The hospital is not functioning as it should, it doesn’t have drugs. People go there and are given prescriptions to go to private pharmacies to purchase the drugs that doctors at the hospital are prescribing,” Regional Party Chairman Zamal Hussain told Guyana Times.
Meanwhile, he called on President Granger to intervene as it relates to the perceived position of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on the upcoming LGE.
“There is a lot of fraud. Corruption reeks at GECOM. We have been saying that this will happen from the time the President unilaterally elected [Retired Justice James] Patterson as the Chairman,” Hussain said.
He added that the PPP has always expressed its concern over the unilateral appointment of the 84-year-old Patterson.
“In fact, we are against this constitutional dictatorship attitude of the President whereby he has appointed this 84-year-old man to take up that position at GECOM… The GECOM Chairperson is the key in how the 2020 elections will be run,” Hussain said.
Hussain spoke on behalf of some ex-estate workers, who were present at the protest. Their severance, he said, should be the full payment and not 50 per cent. Hussain called on the Government to provide transportation for children in the

various areas, whose parents are now jobless.

LGE meeting
Meanwhile, addressing the gathering at Corriverton Primary, the Head of State said there was more progress and greater productivity when more persons participated in Local Government Elections.
He said LGE were a constitutional right of each citizen.
“You now have a chance to exercise that right for the second time since the APNU [A Partnership for National Unity] came into office,” the Head of State noted. According to Granger, Corriverton is a fundamental part of the country since it is the base of Guyana. “You are the commercial capital of Berbice.”
Granger said the town has all of the ingredients to become a striving community. “What is holding you back is the administration that you have here. You have to go out to the polls and change that.” He added that the town needed strong leaders to direct its 12,000 residents in the right direction. “We need people with a vision…This prosperity is not for persons of one party, it is for everyone and their children,” the Head of State said to loud applause.
The President urged that a massive mobilisation exercise be carried out on LGE Day, saying that it should be done on a house to house basis. “So that every adult is brought into the web of Local Government Elections and understand the need for Local Government Elections.” The Head of State also noted that community members needed to form themselves into organisations as they prepare for the November 12 LGE. (Andrew Carmichael)