Dear Editor,
I call upon the government to expeditiously address the challenges faced by residents living within Mocha-Arcadia. We have been living under deplorable conditions, somewhat as if we were a neglected community.
For several years, villagers have been commuting on either damaged and/or narrow roads. Given the state they are in now, we can no longer fill the holes with solid waste. It would require major repairs or complete reconstruction, and in the case of those that are too narrow, expansion.
The fact that it is impossible for any rescue services to respond efficiently to my community makes me very concerned. Sadly, there are senior citizens who have to walk great distances because buses refuse to traverse the damaged roads; the situation is the same for schoolchildren and the working class, both in the evening and throughout the day.
This brings me to the second issue: street lights. There are not enough street lights in the village. There are many petty crimes which are not reported to the relevant authority, most of which happen in the dark of the night. I believe, and some studies have shown, that street-lighting reduces crime and traffic accidents by a considerable amount and is therefore necessary.
I also believe that there is a need for the construction of a youth-friendly space, particularly in the new housing scheme of Arcadia; this should include a library and research centre, a play park, a community stage and sporting facilities that can host football, basketball, tennis, netball and cricket tournaments. But more importantly, it should house a skills training facility, and be built with sufficient space to house community-based organisations and cultural groups.
Cabinet members, politicians and privileged members of elite communities should not turn a blind eye to things they know are wrong; they should stand for what is right. The solution to division is treating all equally, despite their socio-economic status, their ethnicity or religion.
In closing, I’d like to invite President David Granger to visit the community of Mocha-Arcadia once during the day to see the neglected condition of our roads, the drainage system surrounding the community and the lack of recreational facilities; and, once during the night to see how necessary it for us to have street lights both on the Mocha Entrance Road and throughout the village.
Yours faithfully,
Ja’asriel Bishop
