Timehri North residents say they will not accept compensation from the Government to move from the homes they have worked over the years to build and are asking Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn to visit the community.
“This is really unfair… I build my house here, yuh gon tell me I have to left it now? When I look around, the things I have in me house, you think the government can pay me for it? After I work so hard to achieve them, so hard I’ve worked… I don’t want any compensation because I don’t have the energy that I had years ago to fetch wood and sand and all that. They are saying $1.5M per household but that’s not money. That can’t even put a foundation properly,” one resident told Stabroek News at a meeting hosted by the North Timehri Community Development Council (CDC) yesterday. The woman, who preferred not to be named because of her job, said that both she and her daughter are employed in the immediate area and a move would greatly affect them.
“This is not shack houses in here. These are homes! I struggle hard to build my house… I don’t want compensation, I want stay weh I deh,” another female resident, Morise (only name given), expressed, opining that the homes the government has indicated their intention to dismantle are not in the path of the airstrip if it was to be extended. “They want this place to build international hotel but they will not succeed… it’s real tough, it’s tough! In this place the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” the woman posited.
At the meeting, Chairman of the Timehri North CDC, Daniel Fraser, addressed about 100 residents, encouraging them to remain resolute in their stance to remain in the community.
“We shall not be moved. Anyone who comes into this community to remove us is violating our rights under the constitution because the constitution of this country has given us the right to the property and to defend our property… this is our land and we will definitely not allow anybody to move us from here…We as Guyanese citizens of this country have a right here and we shall not be moved… These people decide after so many years that we are squatters,” he posited.
According to Fraser, the government has been falsely reporting that they have been meeting with the council to discuss critical matters. “We are ordinary residents and don’t have money to stand on national television that reaches the masses of this country and tell them things all the time, we don’t have that luxury, the government does. They lie on this community, they lie about what they are doing to us in this community,” he stated, noting that because of this, persons in other communities believe that they are impeding the progress of this country’s development.
The NDC Chairman recalled visits made to the area by National Director of Community Development Councils, Philomena Sahoye-Shury, when she encouraged residents to enhance their homes and surroundings with the promise of regularizing the community.
“They started numbering houses and the process of regularizing started. She told us we need sturdy houses, we have to get some money in our hands to pay for the land. She also said some of us have too big lands and we have to cut down the size to accommodate other persons and we believed because they are the government. As a result of that, we have concrete houses. We came together and we paid for land posts, wiring and so on. All these things were advised by the government. Now the same government seems not to be concerned. It is difficult for us, having spent all this energy, sacrifices to have our houses established, to prepare ourselves for a brighter Guyana as it is provided under the constitution. Now all of a sudden, the government decides the land belongs to the airport,” Fraser said.
He informed the residents that the council has taken a decision to make a proposal to have someone do an evaluation of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri runway to determine whether they are indeed in the flight path. “The government has not shown this country so far, showed us so far, where this community is in the way of that extension runway,” he said, further opining that the artist’s drawing is not consistent with what they are being told.
With reference to the proposed meeting with CJIA officials, Fraser said he spoke to Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir who inquired about the delegation which is expected to attend. According to Fraser, after informing Ghir that the residents will have legal representation in attorney Nigel Hughes, he was told that only “squatters” are invited. As a result, he said, Hughes will no longer accompany the residents.
In May 2012 residents in the community were given a letter by the CJIA Management. It said, “Please be reminded that the land which you are occupying is the sole property of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation [CJIAC] and as such you are illegal occupants. You are hereby required with immediate effect to vacate the lands you are currently occupying or utilising belonging to the CJIAC and remove any building or erections thereon. Failure to remove within 30 days of receipt of this notice will leave the Corporation no choice but to take steps to remove you from the corporation’s land,” the letter signed by Ghir said.
The governments of Guyana and the People’s Republic of China last week signed an agreement to facilitate the financing of the airport’s expansion. The amount of financing the Chinese Government is providing is in the order of US$130 million and the project is to fully commence in early 2013.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) reported recently that the Donald Ramotar administration has been holding dialogue with members of the community. That report had stated residents were advised against making additions to their property on the basis that they will have to move. GINA quoted Minister Benn as saying, “We have looked at a number of scenarios and are finalising some issues. It could be amicably done if reasonable approaches are taken.” According to GINA, the minister said that as soon as the plans are finalised, the ministry will meet the residents to get their input and move ahead with the relocation.
In August, Housing Minister Irfaan Ali said during a televised debate on NCN that there was a relocation plan, but residents said that they were unaware of it at that point.
