This must be the joke of all the happenings in the aftermath of L-11. As we pointed out in a previous post, the PPP/C poster boy, Robert Persaud is sweeping through the East Coast as a father giver of some sorts.
Well, he ventured into Buxton (Friendship to be exact) to meet with farmers on a compensation plan. While there at the Friendship (Buxton) Community High School, located next to the burial ground, the honorable Minister of Agriculture attempted to defend the President.
It turned out to be a total joke and goes to show that Persaud must step out of the shadows of the President.
The farmers were sure that the President accused all farmers of being criminals. Persaud denied the claim and they angrily walked out. the result no splash in tomorrow's newspaper. Poor fella. He was very ambitious to travel to the Buxton/Freindship area, where gunmen launch attacks from bushes and even tombs.
While one of our contributors was there, she spoke with some of the farmers, who were adamant that they needed to be consulted first.
"They just come and mash up we land...We should have sit down first and say look so much money per acre. Now what ever money they offering we got to take it...dem high-pass black people. This cannot go down like this," one farmer said.
Another was concerned as to what will happen when the vegetation begins its natural regrowth process and why there are no criminals, guns and the likes being found right now.
"I thought by now dem woulda find war tanks and some mass grave at the back deh. By time next month all dem grass grow back. This is laugh. They could not come to clear the land and put in proper drainage for the farmers at the back here. Since 11 people get kill meh now see Minister Persaud, is where he been all da time" another farmer related.
The government had told the farmers to report to a desk at the Police Headquarters, but the farmers realising that this was a yet another trap to capture them and torture them as in the case in the past, have shunned the police desk.
However, a senior Government official a few moments ago said the plan to clear the land is part of a wider PPP propaganda plan, to appease farmers in Buxton by putting in drainage and upgrading the land.
"We got a plan," the official said with a chuckle.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
Mr. president said criminals take Buxton as a safe haven he wasn’t accusing the farmers of being criminals. Criminals use the backland as a safe haven were these farmer plant there crop.
ReplyDeletethe government's are move swiftly to clear the East Coast Backlands to enhance the security of the area by removing hiding places for criminals who have been using the backlands as a safe haven.
In times of change, there will be winners and there will be losers. Of course, genuine farmers must be compensated for any losses that they incur and it would have been ideal if the government had surveyed the area to determine what vegetation was there. However, it is a security hazardous zone and such a move may have posed a serious security challenge. The swift action in the wake of the Lusignan massacre should be commended and one would have expected that the PNC would have commended the government for at least acting in the interest of the entire nation by clearing the backlands.
Trying to score political mileage out of this situation in this manner is the worst thing the PNC can do right now. The PNC needs to support every step the government takes to make Guyana and Guyanese safe. Buxton can only be transformed if there is opportunity and its image is changed. Buxton in not an island and cannot prosper unless the entire country begins to prosper. In the current situation where Guyanese are unsafe and have no faith and confidence in their own country, how can economic prosperity dawn in the country much less in Buxton?
Mr Corbin, take a leaf out of Raphael Trotman's book. Take responsibility for the change you want to see in Guyana for all Guyanese, not just Buxtonians. Stop seeking political mileage and instead seek a better future for all Guyanese.
Congratulations to the government for waking up and clearing the backlands