Solomon and Kissoon deceived Lindeners- they locked the community’s stakeholders out of talks with government

Written by Leroy Smith

Thursday, 16 August 2012 22:12

Source - Guyana Chronicle

PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar yesterday led a delegation to the troubled mining town of Linden where he met with residents and addressed several of their concerns.

A resident questions the president on the shutting out of the linden stakeholders from the meetings

The president team included Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn, Presidential Adviser on Governance, Gail Teixeira and Presidential Adviser on Empowerment, Odinga L Lumumba.

Regional Chairman of Region Ten, Sharma Solomon and Parliamentarian for the Region, Vanessa Kissoon are likely to come under fire from the residents of Linden for deceiving them and effectively and collectively locking them out of the negotiations with the government to find solutions to address the Linden issues.

It was yesterday that residents of Linden were made aware that President Ramotar had a vested interest in having them present at the many meetings that have been ongoing between the government and representatives of the Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice administration.

The residents indicated to the President and his delegation that they are at a loss as to why they were not invited to the meetings. It was then that the records were set straight much to the surprise of residents.

However, Lindeners were puzzled to figure out why their Regional Chairman who claims to have so much interest in their welfare and that of the community would want to lock them out of the meetings. They wanted to know if there was something sinister afoot by Solomon and the rest of his delegation who have been meeting the President and the government side.

A section of the gathering that turned out for the president’s meeting yesterday at Watooka House in Linden.

One resident called on the President to ensure that there is equity while questioning who will be blamed for the lives that were lost on the bridge on July 18 and the brunt out buildings in the community. He accused the President of entering the community like a thief in the night and questioned the reason for the security forces to turn back some residents who were coming to meet the President. President Ramotar however said that he had nothing to do with that as he was inside the building.

The apparent angry and emotional resident accused the President and his team for fuelling the situation in Linden by his reluctance to visit the community earlier. He told the President that had he travelled to the community the very next day after the shooting, the situation would have been brought under control.

Responding to the resident the Head of State reminded him that when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration took over the government, the community of Linden was in a horrible mess. He said that the PPP has transformed the community tremendously and should there be a check on the investments in the region it will show that those investments are on par with the other regions of the country. The President spoke to the investments in the areas of roads, water and house lot distribution. He accused the resident of having his figures mixed up and having a political axe to grind.

Another resident questioned the President and his team on the absence of the regional chairman and the regional Member of Parliament at yesterday’s meeting to which the President replied that he did not see the need to invite the two since he was meeting with them later in the day and has been meeting them recently.

The resident said that when the government wanted to increase the electricity tariff in 2008 it was squashed after consultations with the residents and questioned why the same approach was not adopted this time around. The resident said that they had since taken a proposal or recommendation to the Office of the Prime Minister and were promised that the issues would be raised at the level of cabinet but they are still to receive word on that development.

The resident also asked the President to make clear the position of the local stakeholders group in the community and why they were not a part of the meetings that were held and which addressed issues that affect Linden. She said that she, like every other resident of Linden, has been receiving conflicting and confusing information regarding the role of the local stakeholders in the negotiations.

It was at that point that the President broke his silence and said that repeated pleading by him and other members of his delegation to Sharma Solomon to bring along the regional stakeholders and a wide cross-section of the Linden people to be a part of the negotiations were never acknowledged.

President Ramotar reminded that it was the same Regional Chairman, Sharma Solomon and the regional Member of Parliament, Vanessa Kissoon who objected to the presence of the regional and national stakeholders at one of the meeting and refused to participate in any meeting at which the group was present.

The President said that they had already spoken with the groups on all the issues that were of concern in Linden and were on the brink of continuing talks to have them addressed and bringing the situation back to normalcy in the earliest possible time but Solomon and Kissoon had other plans.

On the accusations last week that the soldiers had invaded the township the President described the announcement of such a development as mischievous and the rumour mongering did so wickedly to work up the residents of Linden. He said that not one single extra solider was in the Linden on that morning.

The Head of State said that his team almost literally begged the two to have stakeholders from Linden to be a part of the discussions but every time they showed up for a meeting to discuss the situation in the community it was just the two along with Aubrey Norton that came as representatives from the region. The President cautioned the resident that her questions of why the stakeholders from Linden were not present at the meetings were wrongly directed and those questions should be put to Solomon and Kissoon.

Meanwhile, Ms. Teixeira said that although there was ongoing consultation on the issues that were affecting the residents of Linden, Solomon was interested in another consultation. He wanted a consultation whereby the parties at the negotiation table to agree if there should or should not be an inclusion of the local stakeholders to be a part of the meeting. The facts in this regard according to Ms. Teixeira, is in an email that was sent to her by Sharma Solomon.

In essence, while the government side wanted to include the people of Linden in the negotiations it was their Regional Chairman Solomon and Ms. Kissoon who refused to have their own people to be a part of the discussions.

The refusal of the two and their agents to lock their own people out of the meeting resulted in the community not being aware of the outcomes of the various meetings that were held. In fact, the refusal of the two to involve their community in the talks led to the residents being in receipt of misinformation and distorted information that ultimately caused the situation to deteriorate since residents were and are continuing to be misled and were even told that the administration was not willing to meet with them.

One resident called on the Linden people to give “jack his jacket” and said that whenever he is representing the people of Linden he likes the facts to be told. The man said that the community has been developed and residents need to be cognisant of the fact and be truthful to themselves. He said that he could not understand how people with a good heart will say that the government did not do anything in Region Ten.

Yesterday a resident stood and questioned if one among them was deliberately causing to the situation in the community to be worst than it was, and if that someone should be held accountable for the present state of Linden and Region Ten.

The man recalled that he was invited to meet with the President along with the Regional Chairman and the regional parliamentarian. The man said that he and a few others showed up early and when it was time to meet with the President, the Chairman and the Member of Parliament were not present so they were invited to meet the President in the absence of the two.

The resident who was identified as a former Regional Chairman of Linden said that immediately after they returned to the community the residents were angry with them and accused them of telling the President that the people of Linden were in a position to pay the proposed electricity increase. The man said that the wicked move by one of his own has left persons in the community referring to the group that met the President and his delegation as snitches or informers.

It was later that same day Sharma and Kissoon turned up for the meeting hours after it was originally scheduled but were still allowed to meet the President and his team. It is not clear if the man is accusing the Chairman or the regional parliamentarian of the offensive against him and the team for meeting with the President in their absence. The man said that the time has come for the situation to be brought under control.

Last Updated on Thursday, 16 August 2012 22:16