Dear Editor,
I refer to a letter you printed by Mr Patrick Holder dated March 21, and captioned ‘Home owner has built concrete pavement over drain, parapet 15” high in some parts.’
First, I would like to state with all fairness that Mr and Mrs Holder and I have been great neighbours for the past twenty years without any problems, incidents, or differences. However, since I began renovations on my property in 2013 across the street from Mr Holder, he has attacked me, my property and those around me with his misrepresentations relentlessly via the different media and his contacts.
a) Mr Holder keeps reiterating that I am an overseas-based Guyanese. Does this make me less of a citizen of Guyana with no rights and no rights to renovate my property in peace?
b) Mr Holder claims that work was being done at night. This is not totally true. All work was done during the day and a few times we had to work late because of the need to complete the pouring of concrete.
c) Mr Holder claims he woke up one morning and found that I had built a concrete pavement in front of my house, some parts as high as fifteen inches. There is no pavement which I have built, neither was there any existing pavement before in front of my house. There was an existing concrete bridge for thirty years or more which I have recapped and raised because of the constant flooding in front of my yard. The entire inside and outside of my premises have been under water regularly harbouring rats, frogs, snakes, garbage, etc, preventing me from gaining access to my yard and building.
d) Pertaining to the chain, this was put in place to prevent people from parking on my bridge and also to prevent the vagrants around the market from sleeping and defecating there in my absence.
e) Mr Holder said that I am causing pedestrians to walk on the street. There was never a pavement for people to walk on. It was always the front of my property with a bridge and pedestrians have always used the road to walk on. This is the way it was designed by government; it is not my doing. In addition, to add clarity, there is a whole row of vendors selling on their stalls beside my bridge. How am I blocking anyone from walking, or going about their daily routine as Mr Holder is implying?
f) Mr Holder has said that we have thrown waste at the side of the road of the Kitty Market. I temporarily placed some construction materials there because of a lack of yard and storage space for a limited time only; however, I have since then completely removed all materials months ago. The materials have never prevented, inconvenienced or made it unsafe for pedestrians or vehicles to use the road at any time.
g) Mr Holder has indicated that he has spoken to me about breaches. Firstly, there are no breaches and I must say unequivocally that I have not broken the law and have not done anything illegal.
I wish Mr Holder had approached me and communicated with me and others in a respectable manner instead of choosing to attack me each day in inappropriate ways. My refusal to maintain all contact and communication with Mr Holder because of his behaviour towards me, my property and others has just inflamed him more and escalated his attacks on me and others.
Yours faithfully,
Phil Geborde
