Dear editor,
PLEASE allow me first to congratulate both the Chairman Mr. Vickchand Ramphal and vice-chairman Mr. Rion Peters on the recent re-election back into the office to serve a second term.
I know both of the gentlemen will serve and serve this Mahaica-Berbice region well and ensure that developmental works are being done in all of Region Five and not in some villages or sector, but all sectors.  Congrats once more.

It was with joy that I am penning this letter to your newspaper because I am now relaxed that the people in Region Five no longer have to face abuses and hard words when asking for things to be done that will better their lives and surroundings.
As a former regional councillor who serves this region, I have walked all the villages week after week in the past five years and tried my utmost to ensure that things happen within every village and NDC.  I had the opportunity to listen and try to help people from both political divides and mostly heard the cry of the people, especially the APNU+AFC supporters for betterment when it comes to their daily livelihoods.

In the five years of the APNU\PNC\AFC Government, I served the RDC and always tell my fellow councillors that this place is worse than a fish market when we are supposed to make the right decisions in taking the region forward.  I had to sit and endure what the PNC councillors were doing because I have no one to complain to because most of the AFC leadership was all about them.

Yes, sometimes I would stand up and talk when things needed to be debated and sometimes I would sit and just look on as I glance with a smile at the PPP man on the council, Rion Peters.  Why? Because of the manner in which some of the councillors on my side were behaving.  Most of the time and I must admit they were wrong, but it wasn’t my place to tell them but the chair of the RDC because he has the power to ask them to leave or excuse the rest of the proceedings, but he never did with authority.
After several meetings, I will go to both chairs and vice and say to them, padna something wrong, the chair has the power and ain’t using it to make those people abuse the standing orders of the council.  Many times I will tell the chair he has the authority to put someone from the administration to act as clerk of the RDC meeting if the clerk who is the REO is walking out because the clerk of council cannot call off any RDC meeting but the chair.

But wait, while the chair opted a view times to put someone to act, there came the PNC dictator and bad man REO who is the clerk of the RDC, demanding and ordering all of the heads of department (HoDs) and staff to walk out of the meetings when he does and if they fail to comply, he would deal with them.
This now leads me to say that this very PNC dictator REO then took it upon himself and started to transfer staff members who are heads of department and mostly take away from them their assigned duties.

The regional engineer was relieved of some of his responsibilities because the PNC’s REO could not have his way in making his PNC friends and relatives to get contracts.  So, the engineer was put to just look at roads and nothing else in the region.  I objected again because the engineer has to be the person who sees the technical things being done in all works and also has to ensure and overlook that contractors work with the bill of quantities, while ensuring there is value for monies.
The PNC dictator REO and I weren’t seeing eye to eye most of the time because I say it as I see it; and I saw that he was dictating and doing things that are far from what is expected of him as REO. But I guess he has another version to this as he always does and goes personal.

He transfers much staff because some PNC ones who wanted to move up without knowing to do the work will tell him they don’t like the person, etc.  He uses his power to abuse the staff of the RDC and I always spoke up for all that came to me.
He hires a transportation officer that abuses and takes advantage of the drivers, especially the Indian ones.  That very transportation officer will give those drivers vehicles that are not working well to work with at night, that has one headlight working, etc, and when the drivers complain, he runs to this PNC dictator buddy friend the REO and ensures that warning letters are given to them.

Many were sent packing and not only the Indian drivers, but some clerical and other employees of the RDC, while some opted to leave because of pressure. I can speak of it because I know it and it’s all true.

Here is just one example of the discrimination that was happening in Region Five under the PNC REO Morrison. After he dictated and decided that he would throw out the cash-crop farmers from the farmland and start a model farm (this was a milking cow), I stepped in and asked to be part of that model farm project.  Why? Because at that time I was thinking it would be good because the proposals I would have put would have seen the hiring of farmhands and also the technical staff.  I proposed a NAREI and GSA training centre, shadehouse projects, and much more, especially the planting of cash crops that would have been sold to the buyers of Region Five that take daily produce to the markets.
I have fought the REO to ensure that those cash-crop farmers whom he wants to move that lands are being provided to them so that they can continue; and I did make that happen.  I could not have done anything else because the dictator REO had his own agenda.
I will talk about this project later.

When we decided to start planting the cash crops, the REO asked me to get some boys to work full time on the farm, and yes, I did because I know that within the Bath\Woodley Park NDC it’s the heart of cash crops.  I had him hire five for a start.
All was going well.  Cash crops were planted and resold to local buyers and I was happy.  But then comes the bomb from the dictator: he starts to dig fish ponds in the red sand (as known as reef sand) area to mine hassar and tilapia and I objected.  He then went and purchased coconut plants and I objected.  He then wanted to plant eschallot under shade houses and I objected. Then is when I started to get kicked from the project.

After two weeks’ time, I was approached by a few Indian farm workers and was told that they want to leave the work because they don’t like what’s happening and before they get fired they want to leave.  After listening to them, I went to the REO and started a really hard conversation with him because I saw his aim.
Those workers were accused of carrying news to the PPP and by the way, none of the workers has anything to do with politics.  I never saw them at a political meeting, rally or outreach. It was an excuse that the dictator was using to hire his PNC people.

Anyone can check the records from 2018 to now how many persons were hired to work at that farm and who they were.  Anyone can check the number of drivers that were hired by the PNC in five years and who they were.  Anyone can check the records as to how many people were hired by the RDC and who they were.
Anyone can check the records and see who were the contractors getting major works in Region Five and who they were.  Anyone can check, see, and compare the works being done in various villages and see where those works were happening.  Anyone can check the records and know that there was serious self-centred business happening in the RDC administration under the PNC’s REO, especially in drainage and irrigation.

I can go on, but later I will and to put the icing on the cake I must say that I have complained to the AFC many, many, many times, but was asked by some to shut up. A few members and two of the leaders encouraged me to go public.  Well, to go public under PNC one would have to think twice because of the abuses coming from the petroleum adviser and some of her PNC people in the region.
I always stood under the shed at the RDC and said to all PNC, AFC, and even the dictator REO that the table would turn one day and those very people that they are stopping from breathing will breathe once again.
Breathe Region Five, breathe once again.
Regards
Abel Seetaram
Former Regional Councillor, Region Five