–VP Jagdeo says after addressing concerns of residents, affected persons
VICE-PRESIDENT, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, on Tuesday, said that the vendors at the popular “Plaisance Line Top” should not have been issued with letters before appropriate consultations were held with the vendors and residents of the community.
The Vice-President said this in response to questions about the issue on the sidelines of a meeting with Plaisance residents in the community, on Tuesday.

The meeting came on the heels of the issuance of letters by the Ministry of Public Works to vendors who are encroaching on the main thoroughfare, to facilitate a Railway Embankment expansion project.
“I didn’t know about it until we had the appreciation ceremony for the people who supported us in Region Four. I met some people from Plaisance and they said to me we received this letter, and I said this letter should have never been issued in the manner that it was issued and I will come personally to look into it. That was Sunday and so today I’m here, and it’s Tuesday,” the Vice-President said.

Dr. Jagdeo maintained that while the vendors may need to be removed to facilitate the moving forward of the road project, the serving of the letters without proper consultation with the vendors was most definitely not the way to go.
“It should have never happened it was callously done and I’m not going to walk back on that comment… I believe that they [Ministry of Public Works] could have easily done what we did here today and talk to people first and then subsequently issued the letter,” Dr. Jagdeo said

He added: “I’ve been very public about my comments in how we engage on these matters, particularly where our in actions of the state of necessity discomforts people. Like here we have to build a road, but then how we should engage, the tone of engagement and the help that they should receive. I’ve been very public about that, and I hope that the technical officers as well as those within the political directorate that fall under the PPP that they follow that approach.”

However, the Vice-President dismissed comments coming out of the camp of the main political opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) disparaging attempts by the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to meet with residents and build support in non-traditional communities, particularly those that are strongholds of the APNU.

Plaisance, which falls in the Industry/Plaisance Neigbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is considered a stronghold of the APNU, but the PPP recently won a majority in the NDC at the recently concluded Local Government Elections (LGEs).
According to Dr. Jagdeo, the reaction by the APNU to his Tuesday’s visit to Plaisance mirrored behaviour displayed whenever the PPP members visit any area that is a APNU stronghold, even though the visits are focused on development for the communities.

TYPICAL BEHAVIOUR
“I think they prefer us to stay away from the communities, but this is a typical behaviour for APNU. When we went to Mocha they didn’t want the President to go there. The NDC chairman there felt that they controlled Mocha, like they own the people there. The same behaviour by the chairman here [at Plaisance]. It happened in New Amsterdam once when I went as president, they didn’t want me to visit Angoy’s Avenue. People believe they own communities,” the Vice-President noted.

Dr. Jagdeo also opined that the APNU is also worried about the PPP majority of the Plaisance/Industry NDC, which would see more accountability and transparency being brought to the local government organ.

“They are worried about the audit that will be done in this area. The PPP/C won majority of the votes in this NDC, so we hope that the Chairmanship will go to the PPP and then we will do an audit and expose all that is happening including the sale of land.
“People talk about the sale of ancestral land, people would be shocked to hear what the NDC and the Chairman was doing here. So, all of that will be made apparent. They are very, very worried about that audit that will happen in the future. That is why they chose to stay away they could have come this is an engagement. I asked him [current NDC Chairman] to be invited he did not want to come,” Dr. Jagdeo said.