Interviews and photos by The last census report has pointed to a reduction in the population due to migration, especially in Region Six. This week on What the People Say we asked persons to share their views as to what may have contributed to this. Here are their comments:
Interviews and photos by Shabna Ullah
Azeez Khan, vendor,
‘Many persons from this Region Six are leaving because the country is hard. These are rough times for a lot of people. There are no proper jobs for the people so they have to go and seek betterment in other countries. Some persons who have jobs are living from pay day to pay day. They abandon their homes and the little that they achieve here in search of better living conditions. I think a lot of people would prefer to remain if the government opens up industries to create employment.’
Radha Sewnauth, vendor,
‘The reason for so many people leaving this region is because there are no jobs especially for young people who have done well at CXC. The cost of living is too high and people are suffering. They have no one to support them and they don’t know what else to do so they try to migrate to another country to seek a better life. There are also too many bandits kicking down doors and robbing and killing people innocently. If I get an opportunity I would run away from this country too. I live at 3rd Street Bush Dam, Fyrish and the street is no good at all. There is a pool of water; almost like a trench and vehicles cannot use it. I am glad if the government can look into it. I fell on the street the other day and I sprained my knee. All of that cause people to want to fly away from this country. Right now there is stagnant water in the area. It has been there for over two weeks since a heavy rainfall.’
Sanita Narine, vendor,
‘The cost of living is too high in the country and you have to work very hard for just a little money. Sometimes you work for the whole day and don’t earn anything. Some people cannot even save. When others achieve a little after struggling for years, bandits would come and kill them for it. Life is too hard here. Many people who migrated are doing well in other countries and are coming back to help their poor relatives. If they didn’t get a chance to go away they would have remained poor like them too.’
Parbattie Bickram, housewife,
‘People must run away from this country because life is hard, even for the bandits. When they break into your house and cannot get the amount of money they want they would kill you. They believe that they work for it and give you and then they come back for it. When the bandits attack, the police don’t come right away. When they finally come, instead of looking for the bandits, they sit and take statements for hours and delay the time. The police need to do their job better. Bandits went into our house at Albion last Wednesday and chop my grandmother like a fish. My grandfather took it on and he collapsed and died. I buy a little shrimp and sell it in the market and I make a couple cents. That is barely enough for me and my school-aged children to eat out of.’
David Rodney, foot salesman,
‘The people are migrating because the dollar is very low. If you have $1,000 it is as though you have nothing. As soon as you break the $1,000 it finish, and then to make it worse, they have $5,000 bill now. It means that the money devalue so the people decide to migrate more. If you are in a foreign country, like America and you have a $20, you could buy a household ration and still some change left back to buy a shoes, clothes and other things. Now in Guyana, you cannot even buy a weekly ration with $5,000. The people are living under their standards; they are getting paid less for what they are working so they must migrate. People would sell out their houses and migrate. Others would just abandon theirs and go and live in small apartments. But in a short time they can work and have a better standard of living than here. At one time Singapore had the same amount of people like Guyana but today that country has over five million people while the population in Guyana has reduced. For me though, I am a diehard Guyanese and I prefer to live right here and be with my children. In order to make it in life you have to work really hard, like I am doing. I don’t live in Region Six, I live in Region 10 but I came here to sell. I can’t get a job in Linden and survive.’
Mustapha Ally, businessman,
‘It is generally observed that in the Port Mourant community a lot of the old people who are the original owners of the properties, have all migrated because of the fact that they had families who were living overseas for a very long time and had sponsored them. As a result we see most of the people receiving permanent visas. Some owners would put people to live in their houses and when they are away for so many years the homes would be vandalized. Even at our masjid, we had a membership of over 150 people, now we barely have 60 people. Then a lot of young people have migrated through marriages. We call it a brain drain. It is a reality where everybody is getting an opportunity to go. The US embassy has been giving visa and a lot of people are going. Some are coming back and some are not. Everybody is looking for a better way of life and the notion is that going to North America or even the islands give them that life.’
Kristy Mangar, farmer,
‘I think the economic pressure and crisis as well as the crime situation has resulted in the high rate of migration from this region. These are factors that would force people out of this country because they want to live with ease. Sometimes bandits come into your homes in high daytime and kill you for nothing. Another factor is the lack of job opportunities. A lot of young people came out of school with good grades and cannot get proper jobs. Some of them cannot afford to go to university right away because of poverty and they cannot even get to work and save towards it. In other countries, there are lots of opportunities so people are making use of it to go and further their education, explore life and achieve their goals. People who migrate and work in another country can return in two or three years and build a property. But some people live their whole lives here and cannot even afford to buy a bicycle.’
Nikita Williams, teacher,
‘The economic situation is definitely why so many people are migrating. It is also because of the crime rate; people do not feel safe in their homes. I think the authorities should ensure that our neighbourhood is safer. I also think the police need to do more in ensuring proper security for the people. The lack of job opportunities is also another reason why young people leave this region. You find too that many would leave and go to Georgetown just to seek employment. In the case of teachers, we don’t earn much as compared to the teachers in the islands; they work for far more. To me this region is highly political when it comes to getting jobs. I don’t blame the people for migrating in search of a better life. I am even thinking of leaving as well although I am a trained teacher.’
Felicia Arthur, food vendor,
‘When it comes to the money that we earn it is not much in Berbice so that is why the young people are leaving, even if it is just to go away to Georgetown. In terms of leaving the country, if I get a visa I would go too because life is tough; money is not stirring this way. There is no spending power. We work very hard and we don’t even see our profit. Our life is not moving up. Sometimes I make food items to sell and the majority would leave back so I would end up losing. Crime is also contributing to the high rate of migration. I also think some businesspersons are biased when they are hiring people. When certain persons go to some of the shops for jobs, the owners would pick and choose. For example, one of my cousins went for a job at a shop as a salesgirl the owner turned her down. But when the Indian young lady went he accepted her and that was bad.’
Michael Ross, ex-security,
‘So many people are leaving this region because they want to do better and perhaps they like to see places. It is also because they want to help out their families. People also like to know that when they work they must get value for their money but that is not happening here. If persons have big families and they cannot work for a certain amount of money, then life would be really difficult. Some people have to work almost their whole lifetime to achieve certain basic requirements. Since I was younger, a lot of people went away and never came back to their homes. Most of the people went with residency while a few went through the backtrack route. The crime situation is also one of the reasons that cause people to migrate. People are hardly earning but yet they would be killed by bandits for the little that they have.’
