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Not only is the condition under which elderly Ansel Bristol living deplorable but also degrading and dehumanising. Disability is not a curse, it just means that these persons are differently abled. This population is also deserving to be treated with dignity and respect as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons. Guyana is signatory to this convention.
Bristol’s house is rickety, missing woods in the wall, falling apart and has no stairs. He is exposed to the elements which would adversely affect his health. The absence of a stairs severely limits his ability getting out and doing things outside the home, any person, abled or differently abled, should be able to do within his capacity.
In oil-rich Guyana nobody should be living under the dire conditions Bristol is experiences daily. His living condition is not of his choosing but the absence of resources to do better and the failure of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government to address the social needs of Guyana’s most vulnerable populations.
Bristol lives in No. 50 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. His situation was brought to the attention of Village Voice News, who reached out to shadow Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Natasha Singh-Lewis. The Member of Parliament (MP) told this publication she is aware of Bristol’s unsafe and unfit living condition and reached out to him before this publication brought it to her attention.
Singh-Lewis said in one of her Public Outreaches to Senior Citizens in Region 6 she visited Bristol at his home, and reported the matter to the Neighbourhood Democratic Council’s (NDC) Chairman and Councillors. Nothing was done she said.
The failure of the NDC to act, the MP said, resulted in her penning a letter to her colleague, Minister Vindhya Persaud, who heads the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. Singh-Lewis said in a letter to the minister she highlighted the urgency of the matter, and sought her intervention.
The shadow minister is yet to hear from the minister or see any effort by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security or NDC to address Bristol’s living condition.
The MP told this publication the Government can afford to provide a house for the elderly man, and it is not only a matter of affordably but also being kind and helpful to those in need. “That is the responsibility of government; it it does not matter if the citizen is a supporter of the government or opposition. We are all Guyanese” she opined.
Meanwhile Bristol relies on the kindness of loved ones and goodly neighbours to support him some of his activities of daily living outside his home, he would have ordinarily been able to do, could he get out or in. With Bristol’s disability he does not need a home with stairs but one that is flat and with a ramp that could accommodate easy ingress and egress.
Villagers told this publication they fear for Bristol’s life and hope something is done urgently to guarantee his safety and wellbeing. Ansel Bristol deserves no less. Over to you, Minister Vindhya Persaud
