In a meeting with Christian leaders from Buxton yesterday on farming concerns, President Bharrat Jagdeo asserted that the vast majority of people living in the village are decent, law-abiding citizens.

The President was res-ponding to a comment about him drawing a parallel between farmers in the village backlands and criminals and he insisted yesterday that he was grossly misrepresented. (See other story on page 8.) He further reiterated that while he maintains that criminal elements have used Buxton as a cover, he holds the view that the vast majority of the people living in Buxton are decent, law-abiding citizens, a press statement from the Office of the President (OP) said.

Jagdeo was meeting with the Christian leaders to discuss the concerns of members, specifically those of the farming community, regarding the current Joint Services exercise to clear the backlands in Buxton and its surrounding communities.

According to the OP statement in the name of Reverend Kwame Gilbert, Community Development and Social Policy Officer, among some of the concerns raised was the issue of compensation for damage and loss of income suffered by farmers in the Buxton community as a result of the exercise.

Meanwhile, the President further mandated the Christian leaders to establish a parallel process of recording and submitting claims by Buxton farmers which will be cross-referenced with the official process at the Vigilance Police Station.

The President indicated that an estimated time of one week was given for the payment of these claims, and should the residents cooperate with the process, they should be able to resume normal farming activities after a month, as the army has estimated it would need that time to clear the backlands. Moreover, President Jagdeo insisted that the security forces conducting the exercise were instructed to ensure that permanent crops are not destroyed in the process of clearing.

He also took the opportunity to express his desire as the spokesperson for agriculture in the Caribbean, to see young people develop an “interest in active engagement in the agricultural sector.” The group left with the commitment that there will be future engagements of the Buxton community by the President, the OP statement added.

It also noted that the President gave each member of the delegation an opportunity to express concerns as well as to share their suggestions on how government can work in partnership with the community. The members of the delegation were not identified in the statement.