Sparks fly as Mayor meets vendors

Linden Market washroom facility

By Utamu Belle

Sparks flew high in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice) on Friday as a consultation with vendors of Mackenzie Market and Mayor Carwyn Holland and Councillors of Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) got underway.

With the aim of the consultation being to address vendors on issues affecting them and to update on future plans of LM&TC, the opportunity presented itself for talks on the ongoing construction of a washroom facility on the eastern front of the Market.
This newspaper understands the facility is being erected compliments of a remigrant. However, some vendors claimed it is positioned at the “wrong place” while citing sanitary concerns. As such, Holland asked vendors to decide what must be done regarding the issue. The majority of over 50 vendors present voted to have the almost completed facility removed.
The Mayor said despite receiving threatening calls from someone in “high office” not to pursue the issue, it is up to the people to decide.
“Permission was granted by the previous council, the timings I didn’t too like or appreciate and what we gathered two days after my being elected as Mayor, I would have seen the developer and so on. I calmly said, ‘could I see you in the office and we discuss this matter?” Holland related.
However, Richard Hopkinson standing at the back of the gathering yelled in response, much to the surprise of those present, “that’s a damn lie, you went the first day. That’s a lie!”
This sparked outbursts from vendors who were clearly aggravated by the response. The facility is being constructed in the vicinity of Hopkinson’s shop, and some vendors have blamed him for encouraging the move.
While there were some who voted to have the facility removed, others said they welcome such an initiative. Some vendors on the Mackenzie market wharf even argued that the facility should have been constructed there instead, since presently it lacks such a facility. There is only one lavatory serving the market which is closed by afternoon.
In an interview with this newspaper afterwards, Hopkinson said while he is not the person executing the project, he is in full support of it since it will benefit people in area tremendously.
He said in the absence of a 24-hour paid washroom facility, people have been noted to utilize the environs of the market stalls to relieve themselves mainly at nights, as he explained the facility would put an end to this unhealthy practice.
“All they are focusing on is to fight down the previous council. There are so many other things that need to be done in this community. I welcome it because it is a much needed facility in this community,” he said.
Resident Gregory Parkinson who also spoke to Guyana Times stated, “a remigrant who is home and wants to invest his money wants to build to facilitate for upcoming events like the 50th anniversary and Town Week, so a lot of people will be able to use the facility, because it would be operating 24 hours,” he said.
Another resident indicated that the newly elected council is wasting its time when the project should be welcomed.
“The only objection is that it didn’t come through a certain channel,” he said.
The issue has engaged the attention of Lindeners for some time, even at the level of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) recently as councillors Sandra Adams and Gordon Callender faced off during the council’s statutory meeting last week.
According to Callender, the Mayor’s approach to the person constructing the facility is cause for concern since he noted that Holland did not even introduce himself before passing orders. Adams shot up in response to Callender’s remarks, noting that she was informed of the meeting between the two. In the end Regional Chairman Renis Morian had to settle the discussion, noting that it was not the forum for that engagement.