Dear Editor,
Lindeners are protesting the plan to increase their electricity rates and APNU and the AFC are supporting them. The claim is that Linden is a depressed community and there must be no increase until the residents get decent and well-paid jobs. Lincoln Lewis talks about sweat and blood equity.
I ask, is Linden more depressed than Plastic City, Vreed-en-Hoop, the squatters at Herstelling and other numerous places on the West Demerara, Angoy’s Avenue and other places in Berbice? What about the Amerindian villages where no electricity is available? Unlike Lindeners these residents all pay the full GPL tariff. The people of Port Mourant pay the full rates and whenever the rates are increased they have to pay, and this includes the depressed community of Ankerville, Port Mourant.
McKenzie, renamed Linden after Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, started as a mining community to cater for the bauxite company, not unlike the present mining community at Aroaima where the bauxite company RUSAL provide free houses, electricity and water.
All the residents at Linden (McKenzie) worked with the bauxite company and were provided with the basic amenities, electricity included, but over the years Linden expanded to the point where it became a town with only a fraction of the citizens working with the bauxite company, yet all the residents continued to receive free electricity up to a few years ago when a modest charge was introduced.
How depressed is Linden? Many of the residents work at the most highly paid jobs in Guyana with the two bauxite companies, BOSAI and RUSAL and in gold mining. Just walk around Linden and you will see all the restaurants, bars and other drinking spots. Visit the Linden bus park and see the number of buses plying the Linden-Georgetown route, some make many trips per day; see the merchandise being transported by residents and decide if this is a depressed community. Look at the houses, the number of businesses, hotels, cars and buses and decide if this is a depressed community. There is a huge hospital complex, technical institute, secondary schools, (they now want a university), call centre, etc; are these signs of depression? The businessmen enjoy the benefit of subsidized electricity and have an advantage over their coastal colleagues.
Charles Sampson said, “We live in a mining town and all the things we‘re supposed to enjoy, we must continue to enjoy.” Lewis said, “the people who came here to work and build this town, they accepted low wages for a future investment in electricity, water and other community services, and because of that, electricity is not being subsidized. What has been happening is that what is being paid towards electricity by the government is because of what they did – take away your sweat equity – your sweat and blood, it is not subsidy.”
Is Linden still a mining town with only a handful of residents working with bauxite? But, why should they be treated differently from the rest of Guyana. What about the equity of sugar workers who were forced or fooled into leaving the land of their birth. Why should they not be given free electricity, at least those who choose to work with bauxite did so of their own free will. There was a huge Town Day bash, and admission to one concert was $2,000 and $5,000. Does this reflect poverty?
APNU and the AFC cut the GPL subsidy, so coastlanders will have to pay more, but Lindeners must not pay. The government is afraid to move; after 20 years they are still fooling themselves that Sam Hinds will win over Lindeners.
If the subsidy continues in Linden then sugar workers must demand their equity. I have not seen Red Thread and other such organisations protest the cut in the GPL subsidy; single parents and other vulnerable persons must decide who is looking after their interest, for the cut will lead to an increase in electricity bills.
Yours faithfully,
Akbar Khan
