–through intervention of President Ali

A TIMELY intervention by President, Dr Irfaan Ali, has afforded toshaos of various hinterland communities the opportunity to engage domestic airline operators on rising airfares.

President Ali on Thursday committed to convening a meeting with toshaos and airline operators following a discussion with indigenous leaders during the ongoing National Toshaos Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

In highlighting their concerns, many village leaders told the President that the high airfares are contributing to a significant increase in the price of basic commodities.

Lemmel Thomas, Toshao for Kamarang, Region Seven, said the prices of basic commodities have increased continually over the past few weeks.

As of Thursday, Thomas said the price of a loaf of bread, for example, has been increased to $1000 while flour is $500 per-pound.

“The only way to reach Kamarang is by air and the only airlines operating are the private ones and so they have full control over their pricing and rate,” Thomas said, adding: “What is happening is, whatever food stuff that goes there by the business people, the prices increase every week …once it increases in Georgetown and the rates goes [sic] up, it increases here.”

This, he said, affects everyone in the community, noting: “This is affecting the business people the miners, the farmers and general employees and so it is a situation where it is like you cannot control it.”

Thomas also said that communities have not been able to plant their farms due to the ongoing torrential rainfalls and previous floods.

“The situation in regard to agriculture, many of the farms that were cleared and cropped since last year, they not been burnt because of heavy rains. There is no planting being done, so whatever crops that exist in previous farms not too long they will be exhausted,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Toshao of Annai, Region Nine, Micheal Williams, said while his community has a well-paved airstrip, there are no frequent flights to his community.

In this case, persons have to source goods either travelling by bus or using a taxi, all options which are equally expensive.

“We have an airstrip that was updated, but there are no scheduled flights, only chartered flights would land there and it’s very expensive,” Williams said.

He said that while flights are frequent to the township, it is a challenge to travel to and from Annai to Lethem.

“There are flights to Lethem but there are no regular flights to Annai and it’s very expensive… we have to take taxi or bus to go to Lethem and then Lethem to go to Georgetown which is very expensive,” Williams explained.

He believes that if there are regular flights to transport goods to the community, it will cut back on the cost of having to travel by car or bus.

“If regular flights are introduced back to Annai, we could cut the cost of going to Lethem. I know we can’t cut the cost of the fare, but I hope that we can have scheduled flights. This will cut back on about $8,000 in travelling expenses,” Williams said.

In March, the government had slashed the excess tax on gasoline and diesel, in a bid to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on the world market.