20060401 San Souci Wakenaam, page 1

Report of National Conversation held in Sans Souci – Wakenaam.

Date: - Saturday, April 1st, 2006

Region 3

Venue: - Sans SouciPrimary School – Wakenaam

Number of participants: - 12 persons

Facilitators: - Rajkumarie Singh and Dauren Deonarine

What we can celebrate as positives in Guyana

  • The opportunity presented to express views freely
  • Consultation with a wider cross-section of community members
  • Possibility of a national conversation with all stakeholders
  • A sense of hopefulness for a better Guyana
  • The people are showing interest in their community’s development

Elements of a vision for Guyana

Infrastructure:

  1. Potable/treated water in all communities

Governance/Democracy:

  1. Peaceful elections (no re-occurrence of what usually happens around that time)
  2. Peace and prosperity

Social Inclusion/Cohesion:

  1. Equality – one Guyanese people
  2. Inclusiveness of all persons
  3. Making ‘One people, one nation, one destiny’ a reality (despite your ethnicity, physical or mental capabilities, etc; we should be one)

Law and Order

  1. Justice for all

Economy/Markets:

  1. Better living standards

Present local conflicts/areas of tension

Infrastructure:

  1. No proper drainage in the community
  2. The sea-defense not sufficiently re-enforced
  3. Lack of proper electrical facilities in Belle Plaine area
  4. Lack of proper streets and bridges
  5. The service offered by the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) is not efficient (there is only 4 hours access to water on a daily basis and it is not to standards for human consumption – we are also paying the same rates for water on a annual basis as any other community but the service is not there) – there is need for potable/treated water in the community
  6. An inadequate speed boat service in and out of the community (“operators do not want to leave the Parika Stelling unless they have a certain amount of passengers and at times you are stranded there for a day or night; if you are desperate to go home, you have to pay the price they are calling”)

Environment:

  1. Disturbances caused by the sawmill (the noise nuisance and vibration from the ‘plane’ is very annoying and damaging to our society – neighbours cannot sleep at nights due to their late working hours and indecent languages and unethical behaviours on work site and there is damage being done to surrounding buildings/structures from the vibration of the heavy equipment)
  2. Despite a meeting of concerned residents with the ‘Department of Forestry’ and the ‘Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’, no proper investigation was done. Whenever these organizations are being represented in the community, the owner somehow knows of their presence and do not work the ‘plain’ as long as the presence of these organisations’ representatives are visible.
  3. The Chairman is being accused of ‘biased behaviours’.
  4. Loud music – especially during the late hours
  5. Many dogs are on the streets/roads and they are attacking persons passing by – owners are not doing anything to prevent recurrence of this problem

Social Inclusion/Cohesion:

  1. Community members’ ethnicity are looked at before implementation, when building or renovating roads– communities should be treated fairly and not discriminated against (Afro-Guyanese community will not be benefiting from the road project – officials claim that the reason being is that there is not much vehicular traffic in the specific area/community)
  2. Unequal distribution of jobs – there is marginalization and victimization (this can lead to racial tension)
  3. There is no cohesion between political parties
  4. The local politicians are endorsing racism, among the population there are very minimal acts of racism (persons of different ethnicity usually ‘look out for’ and ‘assist’ persons of different ethnic backgrounds)

Social Issues:

  1. A lot of alcohol consumption late in the nights is becoming a nuisance because of the noise that is attached to that process
  2. There are no centres with facilities for the young people

Law and Order

  1. No availability of Police when you need them – not taking reports from some persons (biasness and bribery)
  2. Community Policing is a waste of tax-payers money; it is not good enough
Public Administration:
  1. No proper distribution of pension books
  2. The ‘Food for the Poor Committee’ in the area is not functioning and there are a lot of poor persons who really need help (the committee should be revisited and dissolved by Mr. Leon Davis and put an IMC responsible – the distribution methods need restructuring)
  3. Transport and Harbour Department (T&HD) needs to implement different strategies in working in the area (what will happen in the case of an emergency, if there is need for someone to be transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation)
  4. A specific street is owned by a councilor - G$40,000 was spent on surveying the street and no work has since commenced (a Guyana Power and Light electrical pole is being fenced around and they have no access to it since they were told not to trespass – the back step and water tank of a building owned by the same councilor is on the area that was supposed to be the street and of such, there are refusals to remove the fences on the streets)
  5. The billing system for Guyana Power and Light (GPL) needs to be revisited – it is very hard because when you pay the bills, it may take a little while to get to Georgetown to process and by that time, the lines men or field workers for the corporation is at your home to disconnect – they are also asking for too much money for the services they are providing (“they are giving blood pressure” claimed a few residents)

Potential for violent conflict

  • Disturbances caused by the sawmill
  • A specific street is owned by a councilor
  • When building or renovating roads, the ethnicity of community members’ is looked at before implementation
  • Unequal distribution of jobs
  • Non-availability of Police when you need them

Concrete commitments and ideas towards overcoming challenges

Infrastructure:

  1. The sawmill should be relocated
  2. There is need for potable/treated water in the community

Social Issues:

  1. Rum shops should be closed at the required time
  2. There is urgent need for a doctor in the community

Law and Order

  1. Policing policies should be properly implemented
  2. Instead of Community Policing Groups, you can use the leaders of the church to counsel persons who are having conflict

Any other observations/process issues

  • People are eagerly looking forward for early and positive results
  • The community is anticipating other conversations
  • There is desire for a peaceful Guyana
  • A safe space was created and participants related their views freely
  • There was no sign of racial tension
  • Coordination was well done

The three (3) persons that for the Regional Conversations are: -

  1. Name: Andrew Peters

Address:28, Sans Souci, Wakenaam

  1. Name:Perry Berbal

Address:9, Melville, Wakenaam

Contact No:Tel. No: 774 - 5096

  1. Name:Mr. Roopchand

Address:174, Belle Plaine, Wakenaam

Contact No:Tel. No: 774 - 5103