While the Coalition opposition claims to have the best interest of the Afro-Guyanese community at heart, it has been silent on recent revelations that a council it controls in District Four has attempted to sell acres of African ancestral lands to a local conglomerate.
Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton has since called out members of the opposition for not lending support to Beterverwagting (BV), East Coast Demerara residents following the arrangement which will affect their livelihoods.
The village is situated within the BV/Triumph Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and is home to predominantly Afro-Guyanese.
This village has been making headlines recently as the NDC attempted to sell 143.10 acres of land to John Fernandes Limited (JFL) for housing development but pulled out of the agreement since it is in no position to sell the privately owned lands.
Minister Hamilton on Monday visited the community where he highlighted this issue and assured of the government’s support during this period.
“The Leader of the Opposition whose party is managing the council, who’s attempting to sell these people’s land, he again chants daily about the interest of Afro-Guyanese, he has not come to this village to say to the council, what he is doing is wrong, he has not come to this village to speak to the people who predominantly vote for the PNC,” Minister Hamilton said.
According to reports, John Fernandes Limited had paid $20 million to the BV/Triumph NDC following the signing of an agreement of sale, but they are no longer interested in making the purchase.
However, Mohamed and Sons and Daughters, Trading, Mining, Logging and Construction Inc has purportedly taken over the rights to the lands, and through their attorney, Edrianna Stephen from Hughes, Fields and Stoby, threatened legal action if the conveyance is not done for the land cited in the Agreement of Sale and Deed of Assignment.
The Labour Minister pointed out that the law firm representing the company that is claiming ownership of the land “is also connected to the opposition party”.
“These people don’t care about you and your welfare…Every day they chant they’re champions of Afro-Guyanese rights.”
The Minister, who grew up in the BV Village informed that the lands are ancestral lands and have been privately owned for 183 years. (Extracted from the Department of Public Information)
