“Dignity in Trade”: Longtime Charity Seamstress Pleads for Workable Stall Amid Stagnant Rebuilding
By: Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News|
CHARITY, ESSEQUIBO COAST — For 26 years, Leela Sookoo has been the “fabric” of the Charity Amazon Market, providing tailoring services to generations of Essequibians. However, three years after a devastating fire gutted a section of the market, Sookoo says she is being pushed to the brink of poverty by what she describes as “unworkable” relocation conditions and a total lack of administrative empathy.
Her plea to the Charity Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC) is simple: a space that accommodates her equipment and an environment that respects her dignity as a business owner.
The Stall Size Crisis
Sookoo ’s original stall—which she notes was miraculously spared during the July 2023 market fire—was eventually dismantled to facilitate the $286 million reconstruction of the market by Builders Hardware. While the new steel-frame structure is nearing completion, the stall assigned to her reportedly fails the “fit for purpose” test.
- Space Constraints: Suku argues that the new stalls are designed for small-scale retail, not for a working seamstress. “It’s not like I don’t want to go in… but the market isn’t accommodating me to put all my things inside,” she lamented.
- Equipment at Risk: As a seamstress, Suku requires space for multiple industrial sewing machines, a cutting table, and secure storage for customers’ fabrics. She claims the current dimensions would force her to leave expensive equipment exposed or operate in a cramped, unsafe manner.
The “Garbage Trailer” Ultimatum
Adding insult to injury, Sookoo’s temporary operating space has been positioned directly adjacent to a large garbage trailer—a long-standing point of contention for vendors in the Charity waterfront area.
- Health and Sanitation: The seamstress described the environment as “unbearable” due to the stench and the flies attracted by the communal waste. “This garbage is so smelly… I’m asking them to move the trailer, but they continue putting it here,” she said.
- Customer Deterrence: Suku pointed out that clients are hesitant to visit her for fittings or to drop off expensive clothing materials when her “office” is located next to a primary refuse site.
- NDC Pressure: Despite these conditions, Sookoo alleges that NDC officials have been pressuring her to vacate her temporary spot without providing a viable alternative within the new market complex.
A Call for “One Guyana” Fairness
Invoking the government’s message of national unity, Suku questioned why a veteran vendor of nearly three decades is being treated as an afterthought in the modernization of the market.
- The Demand: She is calling for a stall adjustment that includes a “back door” or expanded dimensions that allow for the “change-in” (dressing area) required for her trade.
- Administrative Silence: Nightly News made several attempts to contact the Charity NDC Chairman and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) for clarity on the vendor allocation policy, but those efforts proved futile.
Progress at a Cost?
The ongoing $286 million rebuilding of the Charity Market is intended to transform the Essequibo Coast’s primary commercial hub into a modern, fire-resistant facility. However, the plight of Leela Suku highlights a recurring issue in Guyana’s infrastructure boom: the risk of “designing out” the very micro-entrepreneurs who built the local economy. As the rainy season approaches, Suku remains in her “smelly” corner, waiting for an answer from an NDC that seems, for now, to be looking the other way.
