Dear Editor,
It has been almost thirteen months now and our roads remain in the same state. From the time the year began we were told that a barge would be coming in with equipment and stones for our roads. The roads in Mabaruma, Region One are in a deplorable state, and it is indeed shameful, since Mabaruma has been labelled a town. The bus and taxi drivers move along at funeral procession rate; the ambulance has to go for patients in the same way; the traffic police cannot charge anyone for dangerous driving. If you have to catch the plane you have to leave about an hour or an hour-and-a-half prior to departure, depending on where you are located.
Now all these things are happening to us and we have no one to complain to. People are asking us who campaigned for change and what is going on. Since last year they took away the old girl MV Kimbia from us with the intention of renting two ships from India until the two new vessels are completed. The Transport and Harbours vessel is making one trip every month. In the 1970s and ʼ80s it was once a week, then it moved to two trips for the month and now only one. The businessmen hire ships to bring their cargo to Kumaka and in the end the expense is offset by we the consumers. The farmers have slowed down their production by 40% simply because there are no buyers to purchase their produce on a large scale.
A few months ago some agricultural personnel came and held a public meeting at Kumaka and many questions were asked, including one about opening a branch of the New Marketing Corporation here to assist in purchasing the farmers’ produce. They promised to bring it to the Minister of Agriculture’s attention, but there has been no result so far.
They have a lot of big boys and girls here who are employed in strategic positions, but they cannot give you proper information about the government’s slothfulness in relation to this sub-region. We need to have proper political representation here in this Region and a person who is very enthusiastic about getting the work done. We need someone who can tell the voters something, especially those in far-off communities. It is the people’s right to know what will be done to develop their communities.
Whenever these ministers visit our Region we would like to have outdoor consultations with them so they could know what we require them to do for us. We do not want people who are well dressed with hair well groomed who walk behind their ministers and mention nothing on behalf of the people here. We need people who can talk effectively and are vibrant defending our Region.
The last budget shows that there is a lot of money for roads here, but I am still waiting to see that money reach our roads. The year is slipping away; if we have proper roads it will encourage economic development and our vehicles will last longer.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Hope
