HGP Nightly News – What was once meant to be a thriving hub of sport and community life in the heart of Region 8 has instead become a dumping ground for sand, bricks and construction equipment and opposition Members of Parliament are furious about it. A visit to the Mahdia Ball Field by APNU MPs has sparked fresh outrage over what they are calling a glaring failure of government accountability, with residents’ complaints about the facility’s condition proving to be every bit as bad as feared.
MP Sherod Duncan did not mince his words upon arriving at the site. “They’ve turned this ball field into a storage area,” he declared, surveying a facility stripped of even the most basic amenities, no floodlights, no stands and no functional washrooms. Describing the scene as “a crying shame,” Duncan painted a damning picture of a space intended for the enjoyment and development of an entire community, now rendered completely unfit for purpose and apparently forgotten by those responsible for its upkeep.
His colleague MP Saiku Andrews was equally scathing, calling the situation “a disgrace” and directing pointed questions at how public funds allocated for this facility have actually been spent. Despite budgetary provisions at the national level, Andrews argued, the community of Mahdia is being robbed of a functional sports space, a deprivation that strikes hardest at the young people who need it most.
The broader implications were not lost on Dr. Terrence Campbell, who placed the Mahdia Ball Field in a wider and more troubling context. Having visited several facilities during the outreach, Campbell concluded that the pattern of neglect tells a clear story. “A government that does not care for the youths who are our future,” he said, summing up what he and his colleagues observed across the sites. MP Sharma Solomon reinforced just how significant this particular loss is, describing the venue as “one of the most important sporting venues for not only Mahdia, but the entire Region”, a facility that should be alive with activity, not buried under a contractor’s stockpile.
Beyond the construction clutter, MPs flagged a catalogue of additional failures at the site, including missing fencing and damaged or completely absent sanitary facilities, all while contractors continue to occupy and use the grounds unchecked. Taken together, the opposition argues, these issues point to a serious and systemic breakdown in oversight and maintenance of recreational infrastructure in Guyana’s hinterland communities.
