Frustration over weeks of intermittent electricity and water supply, a broken school bus and deteriorating roads spilled onto the streets of Linden on Tuesday as protesters gathered outside Watooka Guest House, where Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo was leading a government outreach with several ministries.
As residents lined up inside the venue to access government services, dozens of protesters remained outside the gates, chanting, waving placards and seizing the opportunity to air what they described as longstanding issues affecting communities across Region Ten.
While the demonstration also included calls for the removal of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Minister of Aviation and Public Utilities Deodat Indar following the sinking of the MV Barima, many protesters told Kiskadee Watch their immediate concern was the state of basic public services.
Several residents claimed that communities across Linden have been experiencing repeated blackouts and unreliable access to water for more than a month.
“Blackout, blackout, blackout all the time,” one protester said when asked about the electricity situation. “The whole of Linden.”
Another resident said the interruptions have become routine.
“They have had this for a month, six weeks. When the water comes, the light comes off. When the light comes on, the water comes off,” the resident said, expressing frustration over what they described as inconsistent utility services.
The protesters said the disruptions have affected their daily lives and called on the authorities to address the recurring outages.
Residents from Ituni also raised concerns over transportation for schoolchildren, telling Kiskadee Watch that the community’s school bus has been out of operation since May.
According to one resident, parents have been forced to make alternative arrangements to ensure their children attend school.
“We got to carry them out,” the resident explained.
The residents said the transportation problem has been made worse by the condition of the Ituni road, which they described as being in a state of disrepair despite repeated complaints.
They alleged that while sections of the road are occasionally graded, no permanent rehabilitation has been undertaken.
“All they do is just grade the road,” one resident said.
The resident added that during the rainy season, mud extends into residential yards, while dry conditions leave homes blanketed in dust.
“When it’s dust, you have to plastic your house,” the resident said, describing the daily reality faced by families living along the roadway.
Despite the protest outside, the government’s outreach continued inside Watooka Guest House.
The exercise, led by Vice President Jagdeo, brought together representatives from the Ministries of Labour, Public Service, Home Affairs, Human Services and Social Security, Education, Finance, Aviation and Utilities, Culture, Youth and Sport, and Natural Resources, among other agencies.
Residents visiting the outreach were able to engage directly with officials, seek assistance and raise concerns relating to employment, education, utilities, social services and other government programmes.
For those gathered outside the venue, however, the outreach also served as an opportunity to send a message that, despite repeated complaints, many of the issues affecting their communities remain unresolved. They said they are now hoping their concerns over unreliable utilities, poor infrastructure and transportation challenges will finally receive lasting attention.
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