Government has records in its possession to prove that the parcel of land at the corner of Vlissengen Road and Thomas Lands belongs to the state and not the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon.
Speaking on the matter yesterday at his weekly press conference at the Office of the President, Dr Luncheon said the law would recognise that the land belongs to the state since there is documentation to prove this.
Luncheon’s reference to the law came in the wake of the union’s hint that it may move to the courts since it also has documentation which indicates the land has been in its possession for many years.
Since a stand-off between workers of the Ministry of Public Works and union representatives on Tuesday when the government workers erected a fence around the land, several opposition parties have since thrown their support behind the GPSU.
On Wednesday the union held a press conference at its headquarters at Shiv Chanderpaul Drive and Regent Road during which its president Patrick Yarde was flanked by PNCR Leader Robert Corbin, City Mayor Hamilton Green, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and Desmond Trotman of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) all of whom offered support to the union. At the press conference, Yarde said he was alarmed at the government’s move to claim the parcel of land in question and said the union viewed the move by the administration as a “serious development which requires a national response”. He had said that the union was consulting with its attorneys on the way forward while union members, and affiliates of the GPSU further afield as well as Caricom, have been updated on the issue.
According to Yarde, when the current administration assumed office in 1992 the GPSU and the government had several discussions on plans to develop the parcel of land. He had said that the two sides met on February 14 last year and on May 23 with a team appointed by President Bharrat Jagdeo, which was led by Luncheon and included Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President Dr Nanda Gopaul and Public Service Minister Dr Jennifer Westford at the Office of the President.
He said that he was “disappointed” that the team of government officials who met the GPSU contingent last year would participate in the decision making process where the recent moves by the authorities were concerned. “I want to see what they have to tell me… and to think they have a political future which will not end in Guyana,” an emotional Yarde stated.
Yarde said he was made to understand that following the May 23 meeting, survey work was carried out by the administration on the parcel of land. But he said the GPSU was unaware of the survey until recently when it was brought to his attention.
The government has claimed the parcel of land by way of transport which the administration stated was leased for a brief period by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) on May 30 last year and the property was subsequently relinquished to the GL&SC this year.
GPSU supported by it’s associted bodies must abide with the law of the land….P.N.SEE
This government through provocation and other underhand methods is trying to remove the torture allegations as a topic of interest in the Guyanese consciousness. People must not fall for this subterfuge.
… way to go Dr.Roopnarine ,,, excelent move ,, the brilliance of such a stroke is almost incomparable ,, u have made ur brothers Drs Walter and Josh proud ! stay with it Rupert ! ,,, Ghandi must be smiling as i’m sure the parents of the nation is too ! way to go !!!!!!!
“Caricom, have been updated on the issue”.
here we go, they running to CARIGON who protected them from 19??-1992.
the property is the STATE, they have the DEED.
freespeech, you continue to amuse. this is no comedy blog man. you are so sure that the government has the deed because you saw it or just because they said so ? i always knew you were a follower and that tells you have no thinking of your own. remember this; ramsammy name appeared on a letter head of the ministry and he said thats not him. remember that ! so ramsammy’s letter head was a forgery but the government is so holy that they can’t have a false deed. only in guyana, only in guyana.
i saw it, and for your ref. they said it too.
the pnc give them as a gift, with out the deed.
i born there, you not. yes i follow the ppp, pnc made me run because i did not follow them to my grave.
John Brown, like the loser PNC, you and other political opportunists in the face of evidence continue to back the wrong people.A testament to where your loyalties lie.
John Brown I am sure you saw the one GPSU have, did you?
i can’t remember the gpsu saying they have a deed…which papers you reading lemming ?
It is the principle that matters. This land was gifted to the union and this should be honored. If there was an error in that the transport was never issued to the GPSU the government should move swiftly to correct that mistake, rather that trying to take advantage of the situation.
If the government has the deeds to the property then its righfully the state property. End of story.
GPSU did nothing with the land for all those years instead they let it become overgrown with weed.
Uncle patrick, u can’t figh de devil in hell………….
Being critical does not mean being one sided!
Are we sure that we are all talking of the same piece of land??
Remember that when the land was taken from the GPTWU and given to the PSU the dimensions were not the same.
As I said before, ‘legality’ has a place to be resolved and if the PSU was given the land including the ‘then residential portion’ then we can all be up in arms against this caring government for their behaviour now.
Luncheon, you again? I do not believe anything this guy says. Is this guy ever wrong? He always has proof but, never produces it, always right but, cannont prove it. We know the Govt can produce any document it wants’, to prove that the land is theirs. That is besides the point here. If the GPSU was given the land as a gift and and or has constructivly occupied it since then, then by all means necessary, they should have ownership. Jagdeo, stop the tit for tat and get on with the matters that are more important to the betterment of your people. Crime, torture, un-employment, climate change(kudos), infurstructual development, etc. Guyana has too much unoccupied land for the Govt to be fighting with the GPSU over a small plot. Come on now, get moving with the business of the people.
Please Luncheon, just shut-up or, the population of Guyana will end up with Hypertention because, every word that is uttered by you has to be taken with a spoon of salt.
PEACE
Very good. Exactly as I suspected. I recall that piece of land in 1972. There were some houses along there, notably one beonging to the Caetano family.When Vlissengen road was widened going towards Ayanganna,the houses were demolished,and the land was acquired by the government.Very nice. I believe that there are several such cases of people ‘owning’ land in Guyana from the past illegal regime .The registry should be investigated.
the govt has transport for the land since 1974. if the pnc gave the land to the gpsu without title then they have on ownership.
In the backroom deals of the day,the illegal PNC was giving away land without papers.Now, to find out who exactly was involved in criminal acts, an investigation should be conducted into the matter. The names of the persons involved in this land deal shennanigan should be divulged.