Dear Editor,

IT is with very great concern that we are penning this letter to your media house to highlight and educate our brothers and sisters in the Mahaica-Berbice Region (Region Five), as to what recently took place under the PPP leadership at the Regional Democratic Council’s monthly statutory meeting.

On Thursday, 18th October, 2018, the council met for its monthly statutory meeting. As we all know by now, the council is at an impasse because of the PPP’s side failing to respect the standing orders that govern the RDC and want things to go their way. And as long they cannot have it their way, then they do all things possible in ensuring that no meeting is kept in order to pass the minutes. We will deal with that later or at another time.

At this statutory meeting, the vice-chairman presided as chairman because the elected chairman was not present. The meeting started as to the agenda, before the third item on the agenda, which is announcement comes to an end, the presiding chairman asks if there are any other announcements.

At this point, Councillor Abel Seetaram stood up and indicated to the presiding chairman and the house that he would like the standing others to be suspended, so that the honourable members of the house (both sides) could address a very important issue that is hot in the air and which will affect all Berbicians and Guyanese at large:that is the raising of the Berbice River bridge tolls, which was announced by the chairman of the BCCI a few days ago.

He then asked for the standing orders to be suspended and it was seconded by fellow councillor Thakoor Singh. However, the chairman started a discussion on the matter without indicating if suspension of the standing others is permitted as was seconded.

The chairman indicated to the house that he preferred that the matter at hand which by the way is very important, be brought in the form of a motion to the house and should be sent to the clerk of council, so that we can deal with it at the next sitting of the RDC, which by the way will be until 15th November 2018. Councillor Seetaram stood once again and implored that the matter be dealt with right away, because the next sitting will be a few days after the BCCI said they would implement the new toll.

Councillor Seetaram told the house that it won’t be wise for us to wait until the next meeting to share our views on the monumental rise in the bridge tolls which will heavily affect Berbicians, because the council since March of this year never passed line item number three under the agenda because of the impasse in the house. So, how can we deal with motions which fall under line item 13 of the agenda, when we had never passed line item three?

Councillor Seetaram went further and told the house, we don’t need a motion but all we on this side of the house are trying to do is to ensure that we as elected representatives of the people share our views as to this very important matter\issue at hand.

At this stage, the chairman went further and said that he thinks and will advise that the council\clerk organise a special sitting of the RDC to deal with this matter which is of importance.

Councillor Singh stood up and spoke as to the importance for us to share our views on the matter, while Councillor Crawford also enquired whether the standing orders were suspended, but the discourse continued.

The sitting chairman then decided and said that he thinks we should go to a vote to see if the standing order should be suspended to deal with the monumental rise in the Berbice River bridge toll.

At this point Councillor Seetaram told the chairman that he doesn’t think we need to go that way, because this is a matter that would affect the residents of Regions Five and Six and we needed to share our views on the matter on that day.

Anyway, for the sake of the people, we on the APNU+AFC side decided to go with the decision of casting votes towards having the standing order be suspended for us all ( meaning the PPP side also) to share our views.

It was then we realised that the PPP is playing games with the people of Region Five that they claimed to have at heart and truly representing them. We in the APNU+AFC side allowed the vote to be cast, because we really wanted to see if the PPP’s side really cares about the people of Berbice, especially the Mahaica-Berbice region.

The entire APNU+AFC side voted for the motion and the most amazing part that hurts, was to see those wolves in sheep clothing on the PPP side voted against having the standing orders suspended, so that we could have shared our views on the matter.

That was shocking, because this is the same PPP and its leader, that are claiming to be innocent of the things within the contract and the Bridge Act that was put in place by their government in ensuring that Berbicians suffer at all cost and that the bridge company make money.

The vice-chairman who chairs the meeting along with the entire PPP side of the house were afraid to grant the suspension of the standing orders, because they knew that the PPP must be blamed for the situation. They knew that it was the PPP that took NIS funds and invested it in the bridge when thousands of pensioners could not have got their benefits.

Berbicians must know that the PPP dictators have instructed its regional members in the Mahaica-Berbice Region RDC not to allow the monumental rise in the Berbice bridge tolls to be debated or talked about at the sitting of the RDC.

It’s a shame to know that those are the people who said they care for and love Berbicians. It’s a shame to know that those are the people who said that they have Berbice at heart and are truly representing them at all levels.

Brothers and sisters of Berbice, we MUST NOT allow the BBCI to dictate to us what tolls they want, because it’s our money that was invested in the bridge by NIS under the PPP; we cannot allow the PPP and the BBCI to ride us any longer.

We call on all Berbicians and Guyanese at large to RALLY AGAINST THE BERBICE BRIDGE COMPANY at this time that they want to make us suffer.

We the members of the APNU+AFC side of the Mahaica-Berbice region stand with you AGAINST THE RISE IN TOLLS. We will ensure that we take every step possible in representing you and not run, duck and hide as the PPP did at the RDC.

We would like you to know that it is not this government that made this to happen, but it is the PPP that is causing this because of the contract they made in ensuring that the BBCI gains and Berbicians suffer.

We ask you to look at the press conferences of the government, BBCI and PPP (leader of the opposition; we say this because he does his own “presser” and the PPP do theirs…lol) and see the lies and deception in the face of the leader of the opposition when he talks of the contract.

By the way, before we end, we would like all to know that the chairman of the BBCI said that the rise in toll is within the contract; and the leader of the opposition is saying well, the minister has the final say, not the BBCI for the toll increase. And our APNU+AFC Minister is saying “THERE WON”T BE A RISE IN THE TOLLS.”

So, it’s a cheap shot by the PPP and its leader by trying to cover up the shady contract they made with the BBCI in ensuring that Berbice suffers in their hands. But, we assure you that under this APNU+AFC government that will never happen.

So, yes, this government will ensure that the BCCI does not burden Berbicians and they will ensure that there be NO TOLL RISE FOR BBCI.

So, let’s all condemn the PPP’s regional democratic members for misrepresenting the people of the Mahaica-Berbice region for their political gain.

NO TO THE MONUMENTAL RISE OF THE BERBICE BRIDGE TOLLS.

Regards
APNU+AFC
Regional Democractic Councillors
Mahaica – Berbice Region

Delon Craword – 673-4858
Abel Seetaram – 619-2674
Thakoor Singh – 328-7818
Glorian Wolfe – 643-5480
Hermon Anthony – 6105942