–residents say LGE will provide opportunity to better manage their community

AFTER decades of struggle, which had left their community a victim of neglect, residents of Triumph, East Coast Demerara, have decided to look up and see the signs of a victory!Standing now with authority in their own hands, they have begun taking up the challenges of restructured infrastructure, ownership and leadership; and are working on enabling themselves to be triumphant.

Listening to the voices at Triumph brings to mind the FIFA World Cup chorus sung by international superstar R. Kelly. Citizens and new residents alike reported that signs of change are in the air with a new national government.

Guyana is this year preparing to stage local government elections (LGE), last held in 1994. With the holding of LGE, local communities believe, they will no longer lack proper management, as management will be placed in the hands of an organised team or a trusted individual of popular choice, based on local nominations.

Struggles have lasted long enough, Triumph villagers say, and they told the Guyana Chronicle they are ready to vote out the reigning council which, according to one resident, has allowed outsiders to take over lands bought by their ancestors.

Residents believe that if lands in Triumph are occupied by any major business, the community should benefit in terms of that business contributing to its development.

Sixty-two-year-old Elton McRae said many things have been taken away from them and given to others, who failed to fulfill promises they made in regard to contributing to youth and other areas of development within Triumph.

But he said residents are bound as a unit this time around, and are getting ready to take back what they believe was ‘stolen’ from them.

Apparently upset, he spoke against the idea of strangers receiving easy ownership of Triumph’s lands while residents are in need of space to construct new homes. He said a particular businessman had approached the village and its NDC with a proposal for development years ago, and had been able to secure vast lands for himself, but failed on his promises, and has begun selling the lands to others.

BROKEN DEVELOPMENT PROMISES
“This is a village that was bought by our fore-parents, and the village is suffering seriously. (Other) people are coming and residents of this village are not getting the benefits of this village from our fore-parents’ labour.

“He came into our community and he promised that he’s gonna be building a senior citizens’ home, he will be building a hospital where he will be doing herbal treatment, he will do a farm to produce medical herbs for treatment of patients, and a whole hosts of things…. Everybody said that was good for the village.”
McRae said that although there was no agreement by bona fide citizens to lease or sell lands to the man, he believes that, in future, citizens should be consulted.

“He was leased the land by the Village Council, but some way or the other, by some jiggery-pokery, he now owns the land.” Part of the land was then sold to a car dealer.

Similarly, in Triumph’s twin village, Beterverwagting (BV), another man was given land to establish a bus company, which failed. After that man faced a jail term on drug-related charges, the lands were sold to another popular businessman, who developed a posh housing scheme and sold houses to others while citizens of BV/Triumph needed lands to build homes of their own.

“Villagers need lands, and we cannot get lands from the Council, but others are benefiting from the fruits of our fore-parents’ labour; and for that, I am pissed!” McRae declared.

He said a change is in the air with an opportunity to change the local authorities within the community at the level of the NDC.

“People are looking forward for the local government elections. We will have an opportunity for the better management of our community,” he said.

BACKLANDS
“We want our roads, we want our backlands, to be once more integrated into the economy of our village. We want to be facilitated by our district council and the government. In other communities, government has been facilitating farmers by designing and providing massive schemes like MMA…. All we are asking is that they allow us to be able to access our backlands,” an impassioned McRae declared.

He explained that only about one per cent of farmlands in Triumph have been occupied, because of drainage and irrigation problems and dams not being properly maintained, among other issues.

Another resident, Osafo Odinga, told the Guyana Chronicle that the community market, which was once a place where many would travel to shop for groceries, among other items, now features a few operational stalls and is in need of repair. A riot in 1964, he said, had left the market highly dysfunctional, but villagers are ready to raise its status again.

Complaints about the lack of healthy recreational activity and the need to upgrade a recreational ground in a neighbouring community are among difficulties Triumph expects to overcome with the staging of the LGE.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL
The problem articulated most was that of the sloppy practice of disposing garbage in the community’s streets. A resident said he had complained to various organisations about a garbage dump he had spotted in vicinity of the public road along the old train line (railway embankment road). He said the ugly sight was there for quite a while, but no one is doing anything about it.

“I personally went to the District Council, (and am) willing to give evidence against those who have been dumping there. I went to the regional office, I went to the environmental people. Nobody is interested! They say we will put up notice. I have approached the District Council. I have approached the regional authorities – Mr Corlette was in office – and the environmental people. I have approached the environmental people at the health centre. I have approached the environmental people in Georgetown, and nothing has been done,” he said angrily.

Meanwhile, despite the negatives, Triumph remains a beautiful, quiet place. Located nine miles from the capital city, it has in the past been considered one of the most livable places on the East Coast of Demerara. It has a population of approximately 2,000 people, many of whom are of African and Indian origin.

OFFSPRING OF FREED SLAVES
Prior to its ownership by 21 descendants of freed slaves, who had purchased Beterverwagting, the village was called Plantation Profit. Triumph was home to the first mechanical drainage pump in Guyana. The community stretches from the middle of Republic Drive (BV/Triumph) to Agriculture Road, and is bordered by Beterverwagting on the west and Mon Repos to the east.

Bakewell and Fibre Tech Industrial Plastics are just two of the major businesses there. They provide employment and contribute towards development of the village. With the hope that will come through the LGE, residents are planning to establish new industries and businesses, and re-establish some of those which have been suffocated in the past.

By Shauna Jemmott