–for giving false information to the media

COUNCILLORS and residents of Hururu, a Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice)community located up the Berbice River, last Monday called on Toshao Winsbert Benjamin to step down for allegedly supplying falsified information to the press in which he praised a businessman without the consent of the Council. Councillor Sabrina Nohan, along with former Councillors Bibi Thomas and Carl Perreira, in addition to other residents, related to this publication that it was only after the articles were published in some sections of the media that the residents learnt what the toshao did and unilaterally penned the letter.

The letter, which was sent to editors, stated that resident businessman Ameer Bacchus had undertaken several community projects costing him millions of dollars. In his letter to the press, Toshao Benjamin described Bacchus as a patriotic, exemplary and charitable resident of Hururu who would have expended millions of dollars on constructing three bridges in the community as well as a mortuary, and undertaking the rehabilitation of the community’s lone road and donating books, kites and other items to the community.

Councillor Nohan said that not only were the projects exaggerated, but the costs attached were highly inflated as well. “This man never did these things,” she said, adding: “He claimed he made three bridges; that is a lie. Is the same old bridge, and he just put on a new surface.”

WICKED
The toshao also stated in the letter that the businessman built a mortuary to the tune of $4M, and that the facility would bring an end to an old village practice of digging a hole and placing the corpse in it. Bibi Thomas, a resident, said that this is totally untrue, since what villagers usually do in the event of a death is have the body stored in Linden until the funeral. “How can you put things like this!” Thomas exclaimed. “You are degrading us! Why you have to do this!” she said.

Because of his lies, the residents, at a public meeting, asked the toshao to step down. “Why we asked him to step down? If this had never surfaced on the Internet, the residents would have never known; the Council would have never been aware of it. If this toshao could sign something like this, claiming it is true when it is false, then how much more we don’t know about, how can we put our trust in a toshao that can sign something behind our residents’ back,” the residents argued. They are hoping that their action will help clear the air, and that the truth surrounding the issue will be disseminated.

In an invited comment, Toshao Benjamin said that though the letter exalting Bacchus was written and disseminated unilaterally, he did not fabricate its content, and that the issue lies with the inflated costs, but he only went with what the businessman reported to him.
“It is not something that was fabricated; it is things that he would have done. But what they are saying is the cost is less than that. But that is the man’s value of what he did,” Benjamin related.

He admitted that he erred in disseminating the letter, and has agreed to write a letter of apology to the Council and the residents, and is hoping that that would correct the issue. “We apologise, we know that is an error, but then there is correction,” the toshao said.