In a recent appearance on the Rickford Burke show on May 7th, Hon. Nima Flue, Member of Parliament, delivered a sobering commentary concerning the plight of the Mocha people, who have endured displacement from their longstanding ancestral lands. Flue’s words, characterized by a blend of clear observation and compassionate advocacy, underscores the urgency for substantive measures to rectify the injustices faced by this marginalized community.
Flue’s comments on the plight of the Mocha people began with a detailed examination of the geographical and cultural context surrounding the Mocha people’s displacement. After sharing images of the Cane View area from which the PPP bulldozed families, Flue share that the Mocha people’s ancestral lands are not just geography but a representation of their cultural heritage and communal identity, created through generations of shared history. Many of the lands she said, were passed down from generation to generation. Such framing serves to underscore the deeply painful and entrenched roots of the issue at hand.
Central to Flue’s point is a critical review of the reasons behind the Mocha people’s forced removal from their homes. She pointed out that the Cane View homes were more than 450ft away from the highway and in fact, the PPP are now allowing homes and other development a little more than 20ft from the highway. The homes, she said, did not present an impediment to infrastructural development of the highway as can now be clearly seen on the video she presented. Flue’s critique highlights a fundamental lack of justification for the actions undertaken against the Mocha community, thereby compelling a reconsideration of governmental policies that perpetuate such injustices.
Furthermore, Flue invoked a call to action, urging community members to remain vigilant and to note which lands will be given to outsiders for lucrative development. The Mocha abuse she says is deeply and painfully entrenched in the minds of African people, not just in Guyana, all across the world, Flue said. Nima Flue’s words require a broader conversation surrounding issues of African land rights and economic disenfranchisement.
