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On Wednesday and Thursday (May 18th – 19th, 2022) an outreach was held in Corentyne, Berbice by the office of the Leader of The Opposition. The OLO reports that, “it was apparent that despite Zambia being a part of the Black Bush Polder area, the people there are treated as second class citizens.” The report stated that while Infrastructural and other developmental works are evident in all other areas of Black Bush Polder; namely Lesbeholden, Mibicuri, Johanna and Yakusari no infrastructural work is happening in Zambia, where most of the residents are of African descent and seen as coalition supporters. The OLO reports that, “this approach of discriminating against communities is unfortunate, must come to an end and be condemned by all. “
It was reported that the residents complained of the high level of unemployment, lack of proper infrastructural work within the area; no roads, poor drainage, no water and no functioning playground for the children within the community. They further noted that the playfield was started under the Coalition government and should have been completed by 2020, but on the assumption of the office of the PPP administration no further work was done.
The residents also complained that with the high cost of living, there are still very little or no job opportunities, even in cases of students performing exceptionally well at the CSEC examination there are no opportunities for them to progress. A young person who seeks any form of development is forced to leave the community thus depriving the community of its best and brightest.
The press statement from the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) calls for, “an urgent review of the treatment of residents of Zambia and demand that at minimum, they should be afforded the same infrastructural, development and social services as the other communities within Black Bush Polder and that the current disregard for citizens, demonstrated by the PPP to the residents of Zambia must stop immediately, as citizens of Guyana all are entitled to benefit from our new- found wealth.”
