By Shabna Rahman
The recently sworn-in Toshao of Moraikobai, Mahaicony Creek, is pinning the development of the village on tourism, which he hopes will generate income and change the lives of villagers.
“My heart is set on developing tourism. I want to create a semi-resort by the ‘rest house,’ where we can provide a boat service so transportation would not be an issue,” Colin Adrian said during a recent visit by Stabroek News to the area.
Adrian got the idea about pursuing tourism from the “many coastlanders who would come in and say that the village is a good place for relaxation.”
Recognising that cooperation from residents is key to making this dream a reality, Adrian said one of his “major goals” is uniting the people.
“If we are united we can be able to develop the community and the country at large,” he said.
“If we are to be divided we can never find progress. I would always encourage residents to work together because we are ‘One People, One Nation, One Destiny,’” he added.
A main challenge for the community is the unavailability of a boat. Two villages are far off and residents, especially students, find it difficult to get to Moraikobai, where there is a school, hospital and church.
“Presently, they have to walk about four to five miles from lower Moraikobai and it takes almost two hours to get here and by then they are tired,” the Toshao said.
In addition, Adrian noted that the village council has no mode of transportation to motivate residents to attend workshops and meetings.
“We have to depend on private boats and it is very costly,” he said, while noting that a round trip costs $80,000 to $90,000 with a private boat.
The Toshao said the council is planning to approach the Amerindian Affairs Ministry to assist the community with an engine.
He said the previous administration had two outboard engines but they are out of order due to mechanical problems.
They had also acquired a tractor but it is not working and the council is trying to get it repaired. A launch, which was also down, was fixed and will soon be commissioned.
Adrian added that the hospital has a boat but it is on “standby where it provides ambulance services in cases of emergency. So we cannot use it as we like.”
Dry weather
Meanwhile, Adrian said the prolonged dry season has caused the water in the creek to become low and as a result residents cannot access the area by boat.
The boats are moored at Yarida, 12 miles away from Moraikobai and residents then have to travel by tractor/trailer or by other means via a white sand road to get to Moraikobai.
The creek has also become silted up from sand blowing into it because of the dry weather.
Adrian also said residents are facing a really tough time financially. He said they are not involved in large-scale agriculture and plant crops mainly for home use.
The plants have started to wither and are also being destroyed by acushi ants. The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute has been advising them how to manage the ants.
Adrian said the community is depending on revenue from logging but it is “earning so little, it is just like giving the materials away.
“We are being abused by the owners of lumberyards. They take the little lumber for a small fee so we are just digging a hole to fill a hole; we’re just surviving.
“They buy the lumber for $100 per bm and it cost about $50 to take out. Out of that, $40 you have to use to sustain your family and buy parts and gasoline,” he added. “I do hope and trust that things get better in the future. That is why we would not depend on logging anymore.”
Adrian noted that the village is looking to start farming on a large scale where it can add value to its produce. “The agriculture drive would be a whole new arena on the rise and we would start seeking donors to come in from the coast,” he noted.
Stagnated
He also said the village’s multi-purpose centre is currently “stagnated” after the contract for a programme there ended. He has not followed up on the centre since he took up office but said hopefully it would be up and running by January, when government is expected to launch a hinterland employment service programme.
He said youth in the village would compete in basketball, cricket and football matches among themselves but he would love to see them compete with teams out of the area. He called on the government to “assist with sports development so the youths can have an opportunity to showcase their talents.”
