By Ravin Singh
ALFRED Park, a candidate in the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE), believes that Guyanese need to connect with nature, and children must learn to eat like the cows, sheep and horses.Park, a herbalist, made this disclosure last week during a LGE meeting between running candidates and residents of Constituency Two (Kitty North, Central and South Subryanville). He is contesting for a seat on the City Council under the Healing the Nation Theocracy Party (HTNTP).
Park says the school system in Guyana needs to be re-examined, given that children do not learn about plants, which he believes is necessary at all levels. Should he be elected to serve on the City Council, Park has committed to restructuring the school curriculum to facilitate plant-related studies.
“Teach them about plant and grass,” he said. “Once I’m elected, I’ll put for children to be taught about the green, so when they leave school, they will be scientists of the earth. We need to connect with nature,” he admonished.
The responsibility for policy adjustments in the education sector currently lies with the Minister of Education. However, for Park, it is not only learning and appreciating nature that matters; he is of the view that children “need to eat like the cows, sheep and horses”, which is “the natural way to go”.
TOXIC EATING
And the current practice of eating meat, which he deems “toxic”, must be abolished, so people can leant about the “proper things”, and not be brainwashed.
He disclosed that he intends to push for the decriminalisation of marijuana, since “it is the only herb that could heal everything”.
Moving away from his area of expertise, which is plants, Park unveiled his other plans for the constituency, which include the installation of more ‘sleeping police’, or speedbumps, in the area to combat reckless driving. This would be funded through the $20,000 rates and taxes paid per lot to City Hall annually. He also intends to develop the community centre, which he said could facilitate recreational activities for people of all ages in the constituency.
As it relates to neighbours utilising each other’s parapets to park, while theirs is barricaded, according to one resident, the HTNTP candidate responded in a soft tone that one must learn to love one’s neighbour as oneself.
At the same time, he noted that councillors have a responsibility to speak to the residents to iron out issues.
And with several residents raising concerns over zoning code violations, which have led to bars being erected in residential areas, Park noted that there is a law about loud noise and zoning codes, and it is just a matter of the law not being enforced. Given this situation, he committed to ensuring that the law is enforced, once he is elected.
“People want to rest when they come home from work; so we need to listen and give respect to the people who live in those areas. And I will ensure that the issue of loud music is addressed,” he promised.
