Leaders of Four Miles, in the Matarkai Sub-Region of Region One, are now seeking answers on ongoing efforts by fellow villagers to establish a Community Development Council (CDC) on titled village land.
Toshao Lloyd Adolphus told Sunday Stabroek that a small number of residents have been pushing for the establishment of the CDC with the claim that there is a “buffer zone” within the community, which received its land title from the government in 2015.
However, Adolphus noted that in addition to the fact that those residents all reside on titled land, he would have even reached out to the Junior Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe during a visit by her and was told that such a situation could not occur. As a result, he said he does not understand why efforts are still ongoing to set up the CDC.
Adolphus explained that last Monday, he received word that some of the residents who are pushing for the CDC would be hosting a meeting and so he and three other village councillors decided to attend in hopes of getting some answers.
Also in attendance at the meeting was Member of Parliament (MP) Richard Allen and the Assistant Regional Executive Officer (AREO).
According to Adolphus, he approached Allen after the meeting and sought to clarify whether he knew the community was already a titled one. He noted too that he attempted to speak with the AREO, whom he says had been present at the elections in the village just a few months ago, but this too yielded no answers.
Instead, he said, he was met with arrogance from the MP, who told him that the AREO does not have to answer him.
Meanwhile, when Sunday Stabroek contacted Allen for a comment, he said he attended the meeting as an “observer.” When asked about the toshao’s claim that he was hostile, Allen said he had no comments to make on that issue.
