“Guyana is a land of many promises…broken promises,” a resident of Plastic City at Vreed-en-Hoop on the West Coast Demerara lamented even as residents prepare to go out in their numbers and vote today with the hope that the winning party remembers that they exist.
Plastic City has been in existence for over 30 years now and some who live there have been squatting in the perennially flooded area for decades and have seen no development in the community. While some made it clear that neither the present nor past administrations has done anything for the people who live here, others mentioned that they did receive assistance with regards to housing when the current opposition party was in power.
The community has no potable water while only a handful of persons have access to electricity. However, it must be noted that the area is located on the sea defence reserve, amid the mangroves and in front of the concrete sea defence that protect residents on residential land from the sea, and it is unlawful to settle there.