Linden Chamber not for ‘shut down’

The Linden Chamber of  Industry, Commerce and Development has issued an official press release, stating that it is not in agreement with the proposed shut down of Linden in protest of tomorrow’s visit to the town by President Donald Ramotar.

The press release reads: “After careful consideration of the limited information before us and short time to consult with our general membership, the Linden Chamber of Industry, Commerce and Development would not be able to endorse the “shutdown” of businesses in Linden.”

The official press release, signed by the Chamber’s President Kevin De Jonge, was issued to the media shortly after 14.00 hrs. today, immediately following an emergency meeting by the Chamber’s executive members in the Region Ten Business Centre, Republic Avenue, Mackenzie, Linden.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Linden IMC, Orrin Gordon said today that while the IMC Members did not discuss the President’s proposed visit to the town, he can understand why there is a call for the town to be shut down during the President’s visit.

“The majority of the populace suffers,” the Linden IMC Chairman said today in a telephone conversation with Stabroek News. “There is a seething anger and people are talking about it.”

Gordon said the Linden IMC did not discuss the President’s proposed visit at its first statutory meeting for the year – on Wednesday – because the IMC Members were not privy to the proposed visit. According to him, the president visited Linden in 2012 for the Linden Expo and he asked the President a number of issues.

Among those issues were the Women of Worth (WOW) – a lending agency that was set up to assist vulnerable and disadvantaged women – and when the Linden Enterprise Network Inc. (LEN) Board would be installed. Gordon said that the President told him that the LEN Board would be installed shortly.

“I took his word for it,” Gordon said. “After all, he’s the President. But since 2012 to 2014, next week (Wednesday 29 January) the LEN Board will be installed, a few months short of two years – and still there is no WOW.”

He said it is an affront that President Ramotar could not find the time to visit Linden during the 2012 crisis in which three people died, yet he is able to come and open a party office. Pointing out that the Linden to Kwakwani Road has deteriorated and several people have been hauled before the court because they protested against the deplorable state of the road, Gordon also stated that he and former Region Ten Chairman, Mortimer Mingo had written to the President about the bad state of the Linden-Lethem Road but nothing has been done by the government to improve that road.

He said that he has no doubt that the PPP/C administration has a programme to keep the Linden community down because he cannot understand why the government turned down a 50 megawatt electricity generating plant that a Chinese company had intended to establish in Linden.

According to the Linden IMC Chairman, Linden would have used seven megawatts of electricity at peak periods and the Chinese company Bosai would have used seven, adding up to fourteen megawatts, leaving the other thirty- six to be sold to the national grid at one third the current cost of electricity.