Dear Editor,
I am a resident of the Rupununi. In 2020 I made an application to the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission for a parcel of land on the outskirts of Lethem, Region #9. I reached the stage where I paid my fees for the inspection of the land. The local officers from Lethem informed me that the area where I expressed my interest was available but that the application would have to be sent to the Head Office in Georgetown for official processing before issuance of the lease.
A poster prominently displayed at the Lethem Office states that the land application process takes a maximum of six months to complete yet it is now three years since my application but I have still not yet gotten word on the status of my application. Every time that I visited the local office for an update I was informed that all applications in the area have been put on hold on the instruction of the President. I therefore respectfully enquire of His Excellency when the lands which we lawfully applied for will be processed? Mr. President, you are on record as stating that citizens need to make use of the oil boom our country is experiencing to develop ourselves. But how can we do this when the key asset for our development – land, is being held up in red tape?
Further, rumours are swirling that coastlanders are heading to the Rupununi and getting lands while locals are left in limbo awaiting the processing of their applications. Enquiries at the Lethem Office state that this isn’t true. But still structures are seen going up in the general area where they have stated is closed on the instruction of the president. Such uncertainty gives rise to a feeling of distrust of the system and raises other questions about the transparency of the process. Here is hoping that some response is forthcoming from the necessary authorities on why the process is taking so long and when we can expect our applications to be dealt with in a fair and transparent manner?
Sincerely,
(Name and address supplied)
