Dear Editor,

I could only take one taxi at a time so I chose the one driven by a young man not older than twenty-one.  I wanted the service for about two hours and had only one request to all the drivers trying to solicit my patronage: I wanted to listen to Natural Black’s songs taken from his album Guardian Angel.  I always found it difficult to take public transport at Linden without a friendly hassle.  It seems as though everyone knows me on a first name basis.  The young taxi driver said “A gat it, Norman.” So off we went on a journey of surprises.

Guardian Angel proved to be a good track and it was the second song.  As we passed the new Mackenzie Hospital Complex, I hinted that we’d got a big new hospital.  What came out of the young man’s mouth thereafter, utterly surprised me.  He nodded in the affirmative and said we also have good roads running all the way from Amelia’s Ward to Wisroc and a housing scheme of nice houses at Amelia’s Ward.  I said the government is indeed looking after Linden.  He replied I was right again, but said looking after Linden is not the same as looking after Lindeners, and doing these things at Linden was not for the benefit of Lindeners.  I asked him what he meant.

I was curious to hear how he would qualify that position.  He explained that Linden is poised for big business with trade from Brazil.  He said there was a reason why the housing drive for Lindeners was at Amelia’s Ward and not Wisroc and Block 22 areas.  He said most of the lands on the outskirts of Wisroc and Block 22 were sold to big businessmen who were not from Linden.  He said very soon gas stations and giant-sized stores would be built in those areas – a business and economic zone at the gateway to Linden from the interior.  The hospital was to serve in the event of accidents, because of the heavy flow of traffic passing through port Linden.  Why, he asked, did Lindeners have to have permanent homes and businesses, etc, built at the exit point of Linden en route to Georgetown.  I could have said to him I had raised similar concerns about the economic security of Lindeners as a result of such future development that must first and foremost give real economic advantages to the people of Linden, with Mr Jadgeo, more than ten years ago.  Mr Jagdeo told me Guyana belonged to Guyanese and Linden was a part of Guyana.  He said he did not believe in Balkanization.  I could have told the young man that more than ten years ago. Ovid Walton (Regional Chairman) made a damning presentation on the same subject at a Regional Democratic Council statutory meeting.  I would advise present Regional Chairman Mortimer Mingo, to publish Mr Walton’s report for the people of Linden and the entire country to see. In all the big development that will happen at Linden, the people of Linden will be mere workers depending on a wage; the sweet shops will sell a few more sweets and the night clubs, bars and hangout spots will spring up for us to dance the night away.  It has already begun. The PPP, however, is in for a big surprise. We will not allow Linden to die for others to live.

Yours faithfully,
Norman Browne