Dear Editor,
I write in response to an article which appeared in the Stabroek News of Wednesday, November 23, titled ‘NDC creates walkway for residents of Farm/Le Destin backlands. In that article, Linden Fowler was quoted as saying,“… for the first time recently, the NDC developed a playfield for youth. The residents are pleased because over the years, this was never done. A lot of money was expended out of the council; in excess of $6M every year but nothing was done.” He was further quoted as saying, “With this new council in place, we spent less than $200,000 and we got the playfield in a state of readiness for persons to play.”
Editor I commend the council for continuing to do development works ‒ within the NDC, of course. That is good and is what they were elected to do in the first place, but to try to promote oneself by denigrating others who have made enormous contributions at great sacrifice, is selfish and a great disservice to those who went before. Sadly, however, not all of us can lift ourselves to recognize that.
As regards over $6M being spent every year and nothing being done, I am not prepared to respond to that; the people of the NDC are the judge, and of course tangible evidence and records are there.
In relation to the playfield, I assume that he is referring to the Hydronie playfield. Nothing could be more shocking and untruthful than what was said by Mr. Fowler. It was the previous NDC which had started to develop that ground in the face of strenuous opposition from the Region 3 Markets Committee to which he was attached. The committee claimed it was the market’s land and not a playfield; there should be records in the NDC office to substantiate this.
Should I remind Mr. Fowler that in 2014, as Sports Committee Chairman of Region 3 he tried to usurp the authority of the NDC by trying to award a contract to someone on the NDC to build a pavilion on the playfield that was always waterlogged and needed filling instead. It was the previous NDC and its Chairman who intervened and stopped it and recommended that the ground be filled instead with the one million that the Ministry of Sport provided.
Should I also remind Mr. Fowler that it was the previous NDC that awarded a contract to do the levelling and shaping of the ground he is claiming fame for? Should I remind Mr Fowler also that it was the previous NDC which had budgeted for a slasher to serve the NDC, and with the recent NDC elections the new council went through and acquired the slasher?
Does Mr Fowler forget that as Foreman of the D&I workers he refused my request to allow the workers to join me to clear some refuse that was on the same ground? Now he claims recognition from the sacrifice of others!
Finally Editor, I need not remind you that the previous council which I was fortunate to have chaired was one of a very few that was 75% filled with the original councillors at the end of its long tenure, and I wish to advise Mr. Fowler not to waste precious time in denigrating people who made invaluable contributions to the community in which he lives. The office of Vice Chairman of an NDC should be accompanied by decorum and decency, and boast a record of respect, honesty and moral discipline.
Yours faithfully,
Milton Dookie
Former Chairman
Hydronie-Good Hope
Neighbourhood
Democratic Council
