–contractor locked out of Den Amstel ground

THE APNU+AFC appears to be ramping up efforts to disrupt development for communities across Guyana, as the party representatives have blocked another effort by the government to bring much-needed assistance to residents.

Following President, Dr. Irfaan Ali’s visit to Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara (WCD) to improve the community, contractors began works on the rehabilitation of the Den Amstel Community Centre Ground, but their efforts were disrupted on Tuesday by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) chairman, Kenton Hilliman, who locked the gate to the centre.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, visited the site where he posted a video on his Facebook page and explained that the APNU+AFC NDC Chairman together with other councillors, reportedly went to the contractor, hurled remarks at him and chased him out of the ground, thereafter placing two padlocks on the gate in an attempt to stop the works.

“The contractors at the Den Amstel Community Centre were doing their work. This is following the visit by the President of Guyana to this community. I accompanied the President with a number of others. The whole country saw the promises made by the President to rehabilitate this ground, put lights in, a basketball court, fix up the roads in the community and so forth,” Minister Indar said.

The minister said that the contract was awarded by the regional administration of Region Three and that it is paying the contractors.

He further related that the people of the community asked for help, and for the chairman to intervene in a negative way, it does not do any good for the community or Guyana.

“He should be embarrassed and he should be ashamed of himself… this is for the development of our youths, not for our old washed-up politicians. It is a shameful thing to say but we will deal with it,” Indar said.

He added in a statement on Facebook that he has since instructed that the locks be removed immediately, and that works re-commence, as the people of Den Amstel, especially the youths, requested this development.

This incident follows a similar situation in Belladrum, Region Five, where APNU+AFC Member of Parliament, Vinceroy Jordan, physically blocked Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag, from entering the community development council building.

The minister and a team ventured into the community to deliver on promises made by President Ali during a visit to the area. Among the opportunities for residents, as outlined by the President, are skills training, scholarships, and jobs.

Just after Minister Parag’s follow-up visit, reports surfaced in the media, which noted that Jordan and a team of APNU+AFC activists obstructed the minister from entering the building to advance work in the community.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), in response to the incident, said in early November that APNU+AFC has demonstrated, time and time again, that it is incapable of offering meaningful leadership to their constituents or anyone, and is, therefore, in its familiar “obstructionist mode,” with racism being its tool of choice.
“While in office, they took multimillion-dollar scholarships for themselves and their relatives, and denied ordinary Guyanese these very opportunities.

“Their attempt to obstruct the PPP/C government’s housing drive at Amelia’s Ward in Linden, Region 10 and at Mocha Arcadia on the East Bank of Demerara are just a few examples of how they wanted development to bypass certain communities, so that they can continue to peddle false claims of discrimination,” the governing party said.

It went on to state: “The blame for this worrying development should be laid squarely at the feet of PNC and Opposition Leader Mr. Aubrey Norton, who has been unabatingly setting a tone of racism and aggression towards the legitimately elected government and its officials. Norton has also started pivoting his poisonous rhetoric and confrontational tone towards members of the media, as was recently witnessed during a community rally in the East Bank Demerara community of Mocha Arcadia.”

The PPP/C unequivocally condemned Jordan’s “cowardly behaviour” and “bullying tactics” towards Minister Parag.