As a resident of Carenage, I have listened to the news with interest over the past few weeks about the plight of the Guave Road, Chaguaramas, farmers and I have come to the conclusion that they are only pawns in the process.The farmers confirmed they received notices last year to vacate the lands but for some reason they ignored these notices and went ahead to plant their kitchen gardens on the lands which they do not own. If they have a claim to the land, then come forward with your deed and the law will stand behind you.
As a country we must stop celebrating lawlessness. These people, it seems, just decided to ignore the law and do whatever they wanted.As an avid cyclist I have been through the Guave Road area on many occasions over the years, and I can confirm that except for some small kitchen garden-sized plots, no farmer has seriously taken up the challenge of cultivating the area since 2009. The area was overgrown with bush then, and it is still overgrown today.
I was present for the live broadcast on the boardwalk on Monday and was appalled by the behaviour of the so-called farmers as they are clearly planting their kitchen plots in the hope of a payday. Their behaviour during the broadcast also showed they were a bunch of thugs who were making claims on the land that they do not have and are not entitled to.As a new grandfather, I hope the CDA stands its ground on development of Chaguaramas because I don't want these kind of people to be leading us into the future.
Kirk Jules
Carenage