The government will step up its engagements with Linden.
Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira made the announcement on Wednes-day at a Town Hall meeting in Linden on the anti-laundering bill.
During the question and answer session at the meeting, Teixeira observed that a number of people had said that the government should provide more timely information to the people of Region Ten. She then apologized to Region Ten and the people of Linden before explaining that after the electricity tariff protest in 2012, it became difficult for the government and the PPP/C party to go to Linden.
Teixeira said when the PPP/C was preparing recently to reopen its party office in Linden “we heard an announcement that the town would be shut down”. She also said there was a US Advisory telling American citizens not to go to Linden.
Teixeira said the PPP/C was intent on reopening its Linden party office “and it is from that point that we said hell no, Linden doesn’t belong to any set of people. Lindeners have a right to hear everybody. If they don’t agree that’s fine. But they have a right to hear.
“Now, I am saying publicly that we are going to come back and we are going to come back as we did before 2011.”
She noted that prior to July 2012, the PPP/C party attracted appreciable crowds whenever it held meetings at Watooka House. “Before 2011,” she said, “the courtyard of the Watooka House was crowded as people told government representatives of their land problems, foot problem, eye problem and heart problem. Then 2011 came around and July 2012 and things changed.
“Some people feel that Linden is their territory like some warlord,” Teixeira added, noting that even the meeting that was being held on Wednesday suffered from rumours that it had been postponed because a similar meeting that was belatedly billed for the same day by Region Ten leaders was postponed and the announcement of that postponement was made on radio by Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon earlier in the day.
“However, the government has decided that there is no place in Guyana that the President of Guyana cannot go,” Teixeira said. “There is no place in Guyana that the government cannot go. There is no place that the PPP/C as a party cannot go. We will go and talk to the people.”
She added that she has been going to Linden since 1978, selling the Mirror newspaper in the market and receiving abuse from people who even spat on the newspaper.
The government’s Chief Whip in Parliament said that she and her party cadres kept returning to the town because they will not be kept out of any part of Guyana. “So, I assure you that we will be back and have another town hall meeting and other town hall meetings to hear whatever problems you have; to hear what you want because you have a right to air your views …. You have a right to be heard and we have a right to be heard,” Teixeira said.
