Santa Rosa residents urged to embrace diversity

By Ravin Singh
AS Guyana continues striving to find strength in its cultural diversity and breach the political divide, the village of Santa Rosa on the eastern shoulder of Guyana is engaged in a similar struggle, according to residents.

This revelation was made by Sharon Atkinson, a prominent resident of the village during a recent outreach in Region 1 spearheaded by Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Valerie Gorrido-Lowe and Minister within the Ministry of Communities Dawn Hastings last Wednesday.
According to Atkinson, who brought out a menu of issues of concern to Santa Rosa residents, political differences continue to stifle and hinder the developmental agenda of the village due to the lack of cooperation.
She decried the fact that most of these persons who were refusing to work in harmony were affiliated in some way with the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP). She cited the party’s loss at the May 11 General Elections as the possible cause of this lack of cohesiveness.
In this regard, she said that former toshao of the village, Basil Cornelius, whom she claimed was associated with the PPP, has been acting in a dictatorial manner since he lost the toshao’s post through democratic means.
Earlier in the day, Cornelius had found himself in hot water at a meeting with regional officials and the Ministers. It was revealed, that Cornelius, who resides in Karaburi – a satellite community traditionally considered as part of Santa Rosa – was attempting to pursue the option of having the community completely separated from Santa Rosa.
This was allegedly being done dictatorially as this move, according to residents of the said community, was not one which they supported.

DIFFERENT STORY
However, at the meeting with officials, the former toshao had a different story, relating that at a meeting with residents of Karaburi last Sunday it was agreed that the community should remain as it is, in terms of it being a satellite community of Santa Rosa.
But the reason the option of separation had been considered, he said, was because members of the community had complained about feeling neglected. They feel neglected because they are not involved in the decision-making process. For instance, the council is calling for the communities to be incorporated into Santa Rosa, but they never asked if this is what they want. People believe that these smaller communities can be managed better, he added.
But the issues surrounding Cornelius was not limited to his involvement in this controversy. In fact, Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley accused Cornelius of not attending Statutory Meetings of the Council.
Countering this, the former toshao stated that because of his involvement in the issue with Karaburi and its incorporation into Santa Rosa, time constraints prevented him from attending the meetings. “It was not malicious or intentional,” he said.
An agreement was finally arrived at and the community will remain a satellite community of Santa Rosa. However, officials of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) are scheduled to visit the community next week to iron out issues which still exist.
In addition to the political divide, Atkinson lamented that the diverse religious beliefs, which should have been a good thing, is actually causing confusion and undermining the region. This, she said, has further contributed to confrontations which continue to impede an already fragmented region.
Speaking at the meeting which lasted a few hours, Minister Dawn Hastings implored residents to embrace diversity through tolerance as they seek to develop their region. In that light, she assured that the Ministry of Communities stands solidly behind community leaders who, through their residents, are willing to take the task at hand to benefit not only themselves but every member of their region.