While expressing remorse over his recent conduct, Toshao of the Santa Rosa Village Council at Moruca, Richard Cornelius, is working with the 12-member body to develop the community, having placed a recent alcohol-related incident behind him.
Stabroek News had reported on Saturday that the village council was expected to meet to decide on the fate of the village leader following an incident on Thursday in which Cornelius, in a drunken state, assaulted a member of the community as well as a regional official.
However, the village leader has denied that he assaulted either the regional official or anyone else.
He told Stabroek News yesterday from the village office in the Moruca sub-region in Region One that on Thursday last week, he was celebrating a friend’s birthday and, “I took a few drinks and I probably got a little too high”.
He said he left the friend’s home and visited an area close to “the landing” at Santa Rosa and during this time he continued consuming alcohol. He said that while in the area, he had an altercation with a woman who lives next door to him, but according to him, “at no time I pushed anyone down and that is what the woman told the police”.
He said the woman made a report of the altercation to the Akwero Police Station and the police subsequently visited him at the village office. He said that after the police levelled the allegations against him as was reported by the woman, he began to argue with the lawmen and around 2 pm that day he was placed in the lock-ups. He said he was released that evening some time around 8 o’clock.
The Toshao said the village council met yesterday and the matter was discussed. He said he apologised to the members of the council and according to him, the councillors agreed that they will continue with their mandate to further develop Santa Rosa under his leadership.
Cornelius, who was elected to the post on April 22 following village elections, said he plans to visit the communities which are governed by the village council and apologise to the residents as regards his conduct last Thursday. He said he has received several calls from residents of Moruca as well as persons on the coastland following media reports of the incident.
Meantime, the village leader noted that the newly installed village council is working on several plans to develop the communities at Moruca.
He said the previous village council had carried out bold initiatives, which were to the benefit of Santa Rosa and he will continue along that path; members of the council are prepared to support various programmes.
