Dear  Editor,

May I ask by what process the vetoed micro loan projects for Ithaca, the three West Coast Berbice villages, the women at Blankenburg and the thirty -six other projects reached the level of approval by the European Union?  I hope they did not get to that point by seditious means.  If they did, will the small developers be arrested and put on remand?

While the rulers seem bent on selling out every inch of choice land, what can be wrong with development-minded small people of the soil being allowed to make or improve their livelihoods?  Whatever the cause, the reported decision of the government to cancel or delay the progress is alarming. Even more alarming is the government’s coolness in refusal to comment at a time when they should rush to apologise and withdraw the alleged veto on the projects.

Do these officials know what it is to be scraping and planning and waiting to secure or improve livelihood by work and production?  They should welcome these three projects and similar projects. They have teams promoting more of them before the life of the project runs out.

In the first place it is an urgent matter. Livelihood is urgent and immediate. The rulers should stop feeling that they have some right to tamper with the lives of those who try to walk the straight road. It is heartless for the government to feel justified in using its veto on these projects and then think it can say ‘No comment at this time,’ Is it now trying to find the reason?

I withhold further comment in the hope that the Minister or other official responsible will make urgently a full disclosure of the reason or reasons for using the veto on 39 micro projects and the communities affected

Yours faithfully,
Eusi Kwayana