By Jomo Paul

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali has described a motion filed in the High Court to quash the sale of house lots in Pradoville as “vindictive and nasty.”

The motion was filed by former APNU Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman, to have the sale of house lots to high profile businessmen and former government officials in the area reversed.

However, Ali believes that there is some ulterior motive behind the move. He told iNews in an exclusive interview on Thursday that he believes the motion infringes on the constitutional rights of those persons who own homes in Pradoville.

“This action that is perpetuated against these citizens of Guyana is directly infringing on their constitutional protection and rights. The ownership of property and the ownership by title of property are guaranteed under the constitution,” said the Former Housing Minister. 

Former Minister of Housing, Irfaan Ali.

He pointed out that the court action does not augur well if “this is the manner that former President and long standing public servants would be dealt with.”

“You can’t just decide that you are going to blatantly and in a venomous manner take away property from people who represented Guyana, are they going to be treated this way… are they going to file a motion against those who were allocated lands in Meadow Brook Gardens. Let us investigate the allocation of lands in Meadow Brook,” Ali urged.

He pointed out too that under the former PNC government, prime property was allocated to the family of Former President Forbes Burnham. Ali said when the PPP was elected to office in 1992; no moves were ever taken to deprive those persons of land.

“Is the motion just aimed at persons who would have served under the PPP government? Where will it end? Where is it going end? I have never seen a motion under the PPP government to take back titles allocated in Meadow Brook Gardens. The PPP respected the titles that were allocated to them, I have never seen a motion to repossess the ownership of the real estate allocated to the family of Forbes Burnham,” he stated.

Reports indicate that lands purchased in PradoVille one and two were sold at a minimum of $114 per square foot. Ordinary Guyanese pay some $317 per square foot of land.

“If this is where we want to take Guyana…this type of vindictive, nasty behavior will not take this country anywhere,” Ali said further defending the sale of lands.