This week on What the People Say residents on the Corentyne commented on issues that are affecting them.

Interviews and photos by Shabna Ullah

Rudranauth Lall, taxi driver (Number 65 Village): `My area always has problems with the streets and the drainage. There are huge potholes in the streets and it takes a long time for vehicles to traverse. If drivers don’t take their time, especially at nights or if they do not know the road they can damage their vehicles. Sometimes the vehicles get stuck in the potholes. The problem with the drains is that they have not been cleaned for a while and there is no place for the water to flow. In the spring tide and during the rainy season we would get flood.’

Linden Murray, Community Develop-ment Officer, Guysuco (Skeldon): ‘My concern is about the youths. I think that they are being destroyed by drugs. There are known drug-pushers in the area and they are allowed to operate freely. We have the Skeldon Estate Community Centre and programmes such as sports and education to help the youths. I would like them be a part of the programme instead of being at the street corners liming.’

Veronica Persaud, cleaner (Corriverton): ‘I live at Lot 94 Eliza Mary at Race Course, Corriverton for the past 20 years and my problem is that around February this year a resident came into my yard and start measuring my land without my permission. When I questioned him he said that the Ministry of Housing had sold my land to another person for $90,000 and told me that I would have to remove. I found that very strange that after owning my land for all these years it would be sold to someone else. If I move from my house from my land the only place left for me to go is in the trench. I called the president’s office one day and complained to the secretary. I even told her that I would put it in the papers. The man did not show any proof that someone bought my land and he didn’t have any right to come into my yard and start measuring my land. There is land all over the place and I want to know why they are claiming mine. My husband died eight years ago and I am struggling to maintain my children.’

Alim Mursaline, Pastor (Corriverton): `I am concerned about our young people and the direction they seem to be going in. To my mind there is lack of proper guidance and role-models that would help to channel them to be more productive. I am also concerned about the level of results from the schoolchildren in this area especially at the CXC. I think our young people lost an educational direction and it is not a priority for them anymore. This needs to be addressed by the educators. There are also a lot of school dropouts. Poverty has an effect because many parents cannot afford to buy basic items and they keep their children at home. However, I never like to use poverty as an excuse for not having any goals in life. Poor people can make it to very high levels and I am an example of that. It just has to do with how people were guided and mentored.’

Nazam Bacchus, Clothing vendor (Skeldon): `My problem is that the Corriverton Town Council had cleared the vendors off the road last year and put us at the back of the market where we were hardly getting any business. We spent two weeks there and we were forced to return to the road to sell. Now the council summons us and put us before the court. We do not have a problem with selling in the market but if they insist on us to go back they need to sort out the market, like putting all the vendors selling the same items at one place. Unless they do that it cannot work. I would prefer to remain on the road though. This road is not being used; they have another access road. I am willing to pay the money to sell here. I have a big family and it is hard to maintain them in this crisis. I trade my goods from Georgetown and through the Suriname backtrack crossing. Right now I am thinking of stopping the trading in Suriname because the duty is too high to pay. Custom officers are at the landing waiting and they take us to the Inland Revenue to pay the duty.’

Terrence Blair, Beverage vendor (Queenstown): `The Town Council is giving us a fight; they have taken us to court for selling out on the street. I have a huckster’s licence and I want to know if it is not valid. I want to know how the poor can survive if we are not allowed to sell here.’

Seeram Jerry, carpenter (Number 59 Village): `The streets in my area are in a deplorable condition and when the rain falls it is worse with a lot of mud all over. The children have a hard time getting to school. The government promised to ‘brick’ the main access dam which residents as well as agricultural vehicles have to use. Up to now it is still the same and sometimes tractors get stuck on the dam. The village also has a lot of thieves and you cannot live there in peace anymore. On Monday night while I was sleeping thieves entered my yard and stole my bicycle, car parts and a few other items. I only discovered that the things were missing when I woke up the next morning. I was involved in a policing group in the village and during that time the area had no theft. Right now the group is not functioning.’

Kemwatie Samdat, housewife (Number 69 Village): `With the kite flying season on many persons display attitudes of not knowing that they have to fly in big open spaces. Children and even adults would fly close to electric wires and that was very dangerous. My husband had the cause to warn persons not to fly too close to the electric wires connected to our house. They had already hooked up a kite on one of the wires and damaged two switches in the house. But because he spoke for his right they ended up cursing him and beating him up. We only recently moved to the area with our five children and we did not want a problem with anyone. I feel that if the persons were aware of the dangers of this practice the confrontation could have been avoided.’

Alecia Rahamat, housewife (Line Path, Skeldon): `The condition of the water in my area is a big problem. Right now it is running orange [in colour]. Recently it was cut off for about five days and the water company did not come around with water even once. I had to go to my neighbours who had tanks and if I was lucky I would get a few buckets to use. I learnt from someone later that a pipe was broken and that was the reason for us not getting water. During that time a woman I know bought water from the fire truck for $4000 but yet they [firefighters] do not get water to put out fires. There is also an issue of poor drainage. The water from the drains in my yard does not have anywhere to go because the drainage to the main trench is blocked up and needs to be cleared.’

Mohamed Rahim, farmer/ snackette vendor (Number 79 Village): `As a farmer up the Corentyne River I undergo a lot of expense and yet when I bring out my produce I am hardly getting market. I have to sell trust to the hucksters and when it is time to pay they would tell me that some of the produce spoilt and they cannot pay for them. I would sell fresh produce to them but I cannot fight them; they would still cut the money and besides I have no other market. I even suffer other losses to monkeys and wild-hogs that would destroy the crops. Persons would also steal the produce and sell it right at the market but the police said we have to catch them at the farm. Another thing is that we need a light for the market that is used by the Corentyne River farmers. We are also having a water problem in my area. Sometimes when I go home late from work there is no water and I have to go to the waterside to bathe. When we do get water the pressure is very low and we have to buy pumps. It is also very rusty and we have to boil it to drink it. It is a shame that some persons who do not pay water rates leave their pipes running all the time and waste the water. Since last year a pipe broke at Section ‘C’ in the village and even though reports have been made it has still not been fixed.’