–praise gov’t’s housing drive

SOME of the beneficiaries of the government’s housing drive have said that recent criticisms of the low-income homes by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton can be described as ‘crazy’, as they hailed the housing drive a success.

Earlier this week, Norton labelled the houses as part of the Ministry of Housing and Water’s low-income houses as inadequate for families.

He failed to realise, however, that it was the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government which had built and distributed a number of those low-income homes in 2019.

When the Guyana Chronicle contacted persons who have benefitted from government’s housing drive, they said the initiative ought to be praised and not criticised.

Surujdai Sanchan, a beneficiary, was thankful for the support she received. She lauded the allocation of low-income homes, noting that some persons earn under a specific income bracket in the country, and this category of homeownership caters to their specific needs.

“I think that’s crazy; this is not something to criticise,” she said, while Colin Wilson, who was the recipient of his house lot, described the housing drive as a “boom”, as there have been a lot of changes in the system, and many persons benefitted faster.

When asked about the low-income houses, he said, “In terms of the low-income houses, I think they doing a fine job. I personally went in a couple, and I don’t see a problem.”

Wilson stated that claims that the houses are inadequate for families are not true.

“Persons probably got a problem with it, because they got their own agenda, or got their own problem with the government,” he said.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, the Opposition Leader called the houses similar to those built under the APNU+AFC’s administration “chicken coops”, saying they are only appropriate for bachelors and single women.

He went on to say that with these homes, an environment will be created whereby “Children will be exposed to adult activities, which they should not be exposed to.”