“Tiger Bay got nothing from APNU/AFC” – James Bond fires back at attempts to stymie community’s development

People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) James Bond has delivered a fiery defence of the Government’s ongoing development plans for Tiger Bay, accusing several Opposition-aligned figures of attempting to derail long-overdue improvements in the Kingston–Tiger Bay community.
On Sunday last, the President Dr Irfaan Ali outlined a transformative urban renewal programme that will include the construction of a futsal and basketball facility, the renovation of two historic buildings, expanded social services for children and mothers, and new mechanisms to help households upgrade their living conditions.
The initiative is part of the One Guyana “Neighbourhood Love” programme, which aims to rebuild communities through shared responsibility and sustained investment.

Addressing criticisms by Opposition members and persons aligned to them following the initiative’s official launch, Bond said critics of the initiative, among them the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) and new Member of Parliament Dr David Hinds.
Bond who fired back at criticisms made online and to news outlets regarding the Tiger Bay, Kingston and Carmicheal Street, Georgetown kick off of the One Guyana “Neighbourhood Love” programme, argued that while the Government is investing in training, small-business development, community jobs, recreational facilities and infrastructural upgrades, some activists are attempting to “poison the minds” of residents with misinformation.
Bond asserted that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has been assisting Tiger Bay for decades and criticised claims that the Government has ulterior motives. “This is not the first time the PPP/C is doing anything in Tiger Bay,” he said. “I have family there. I have friends there. I’ve been doing work in that community for 15 years. I know who really contributed and who only shows up at election time.”
Bond who also defended the PPP/C’s track record of providing house lots to Tiger Bay residents, contrasted the current Administration’s efforts with that the Opposition, claiming that 80 to 90 per cent of households in the area have received allocations under the party’s governance. “The difficulty is not that they didn’t get lands – it’s that some lots are far and people need financial support to build. And the President has already said the Government will help them build,” he noted.
Against this backdrop, the PPP/C MP further rejected allegations that Government intends to “seize” land in Tiger Bay, clarifying that the entire block is privately owned by Guyanese-born British musician Eddy Grant. “Government can’t take the land. It’s not state land. If people relocate, it’s Eddy Grant getting back his land,” he said, criticising media commentators whom he accused of spreading “fake news” about displacement.
Moreover, he addressed recent reaction against Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand’s visit to the community, saying that such criticism exposes political hypocrisy. “How can you tell Minister Manickchand to get out? People welcomed her. They welcome the Government. The majority of Tiger Bay supports the PPP/C,” he declared, arguing that some detractors “can’t walk into Tiger Bay and face the people directly only on social media”.
“This is a constituency of Afro-Guyanese people, and you’re telling the Government not to help them? How does that make sense?” he asked. “The Government wants people to move from squatting conditions into proper homes. Why oppose that?”