Interviews and photos by Shabna Ullah

This week on ‘What the people say’ we asked persons on the Corentyne and other areas in Berbice to comment on the major concerns they have in their areas and got the following responses:

Dhanraj Samaroo, businessman, (Port Mourant): ‘A major concern for me is that 75% of the boys and men from about age nine to 36 years old are involved in drugs in the community and nobody is doing anything about it. The first thing is that police need to check on persons who are peddling the drugs for the situation to be under control. The persons would sit idly on the road corner and smoke the drugs and interfere with young girls when they pass. They would also be gambling under trees and are not working. That obviously leads to criminal activities being committed. Another concern I have is that I travel daily and I observe that a few traffic police are very biased. They need to perform their duties according to the law and do not discriminate or victimize.’
Carlton Charles, pastor, (New Amsterdam): “Berbice is doing ‘good’ for me but my major concern is that there is a lack of employment for the youths. This is leading to them moving to Georgetown and seeking better opportunities instead of staying and helping to develop Berbice. There should also be proper sport facilities for hopeless youths. I have also observed an issue of school dropouts and I think they need to be involved in skills training courses to assist them to earn a living. There are also other social problems in Berbice and issues of battered women and persons need help to deal with these situations. But the important thing is for them to turn to God.’

Bernadette Parks, pensioner, (Alness): “Firstly, I am a retired cook at the Felix Austin Police College and I am very happy about the rebirth of the college. It would be a great help for the people in the community, especially the young men; hopefully the young women would join too. I hope that good values would be passed on. We are getting a lot of crime in our community and with the training of more officers I think that the situation would be brought under control. Another major concern in my area is that the youths do not have enough recreational facilities. There should also be more learning institutions for young people when they finish school.’
Seepersaud, rice farmer, (Black Bush Polder): “My concern is about the drainage; it is very slow and whenever there is heavy rainfall there would be flooding. We have proper drainage systems in the residential areas but the problem is mostly in the outfall. During the rainy seasons too, the dams are really bad and it is difficult for farmers to traverse with their produce. I would like if the authorities can assist in providing a better dam so farmers would not have to suffer. Another thing is that I have a problem obtaining proper seed paddy for my seven-acre plot of land. I have to go to Burma, Mahaicony to get seed paddy and sometimes it is not of good quality. If I don’t sow good paddy I cannot get a good price when I reap. A seed paddy facility was commissioned in BBP last year but it is not functioning presently.’
Sursattie Ishmael, housewife, (Whim): “In my area a lot of persons are loitering late at nights at the street corners and that is a major concern for me. They would be sitting there from around 7 pm to after 11 pm or even later, drinking and gambling and then they would curse among themselves loudly. The next thing you know is that they end up scrambling each other in fights which would sometimes turn ugly. The men’s behaviour also leads to domestic violence. When they go home and their wives tell them anything they would start beating them. That is becoming a norm in Berbice. I am the chairperson of the Community Policing Group and me and members of the group would talk to the men but they would still continue with their behavior. Another thing is that they do not send their children to school. Some 10-year-old boys are sent to the backdam to graze cows. We need the youths to seek an education. Most of them are illiterate and do not know how to behave. I think social workers should visit the area and counsel these people. I had to report the parents of a boy last year because they did not send him to school after he wrote the common entrance. The probation officer spoke to the father who promised to send the child to school. The child is still at home and the officer never followed-up on the matter.’
Jameed Sheriff, pensioner, (Palmyra): “I am currently visiting from Canada and I do not have any concerns; I am enjoying the lovely weather. I even noticed that the people seem quite happy. I migrated over 15 years ago and since then there have been a lot of improvements for instance with the Berbice Bridge. I always dreamt of that and finally it has become a reality. There was so much hassle with the ferry and I glad that is over. I am also happy that government is upgrading the roads. Another thing is that so many people now have access to landline telephones and even the smallest child owns a cell phone.’
Margaret Pooran, housewife, (Crabwood Creek): “I do not have any major concern in my area except that the street is in a terrible condition with huge potholes. When the rain falls it is even worse and when vehicles use the street they make a lot of mess. The owners also have a hard time to use the street and their vehicles are damaged. My husband went a few times to the village office and asked them to fill up the street. We want them to come and see it during the rainy season but they did not come as yet. Sometimes residents especially school children have to walk out of the street barefoot and then wash their feet before putting on their school boots. But apart from that everything else is ok.

Also the youths are in need of more recreational facilities to stay out of trouble. Some afternoons they would play hopscotch and marbles on the street. We had a problem with persons who use drugs, breaking into homes and stealing items to support their habits but thank God the burglary has eased up – for now.’
Roy Jafarally, contracts manager, (Glasgow): “Inadequate potable supply is of a major concern to residents of East Bank Berbice. This problem has been ongoing for years. Promises have been made for upgraded pumps to be installed so we can have a regular supply of water. However this has failed to happen because of the faulty equipment being installed. The water that we are currently getting is also of a poor quality, it is smelly and the colour and taste is not fit for human consumption. We are getting untreated water directly from a well. In this day and age because of various diseases people need better water. If we are going to pay for the service it needs to be of a high and acceptable standard.  The road is another major issue. The contractors are awarded the jobs but they do sub-standard work blatantly in the eyes of engineers. The road is being used by heavy, bulk vehicles so it should be of a high standard.’
Merlyn Ragwen, self-employed, (Whim): “My major concern is that the Guyana Power & Light charges a high bill regardless of how much electricity is being used. For instance I would spend some time away from home and when I get the bills they are the same as if I had been at home to use my lights and appliances. In the case of water, a few persons have meters but the water company still charges everyone a high bill. We also have a problem of persons dumping their garbage carelessly in the drains and causing them to be blocked. I think bins should be set up at different points in the village to prevent this practice. Another thing is that when the village council clears the weed from the drains the weed should be picked up at the same time. I am also concerned about the quality of water that persons are supposed to drink. It is very muddy…’

John Porter, rice farmer, (Lovely Lass): “The main concern I have in my area is the theft that has become rampant in recent times. Between last year and this year bandits stole six of my tractor and truck batteries. They have also stolen starters and alternators for my other vehicles. A lot of people in my area have also lost similar items. We made reports to the police but we are not getting proper justice – the intelligence is not good enough. As a rice farmer I also have a concern about the paddy price. We are getting a maximum of $2,500 per bag of paddy. That is not profitable and it cannot compensate us for our expense; we need to get more. For instance sometimes we might harvest 20 bags per acre, amounting to $50,000 but depending on prices for drugs, fertilizer and other items it might cost us at least $65,000 to produce. We are currently planting at a risk. Another concern for me is that the street lights in the village stopped working over two weeks ago but no one has visited as yet to fix them.’