“Short-Sighted and Secretive”: MPs Condemn Government Overreach at Fort Island Heritage Site
By: Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News|
FORT ISLAND, ESSEQUIBO RIVER — A firestorm of criticism has erupted over the government’s recent actions at Fort Island, as Opposition Members of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul and Odessa Primus accuse the administration of “bulldozing” its way through a gazetted national monument. The MPs argue that secretive preparations for Guyana’s 60th Independence Anniversary flag-raising ceremony have put one of the country’s most significant historical sites at risk.
At the heart of the dispute is Fort Zeelandia, a brick structure built in 1749 by enslaved people under Dutch rule, which has survived centuries of erosion and neglect, only to face potential damage from modern “beautification” efforts.
A Breach of the National Trust Act?
MP Ganesh Mahipaul leveled a charge of “lack of foresight” against the government, suggesting that their approach to historical preservation is dangerously shallow.
- Mandatory Preservation: Citing the National Trust Act, Mahipaul reminded the administration that the law specifically mandates the preservation of buildings and surroundings of “architectural, historic, or artistic interest.”
- Recipe for Disaster: Mahipaul expressed alarm over reports of heavy-duty work being executed around the fort without public disclosure. “You cannot single-handedly move to make changes instead of bringing to the attention of the public what those changes are,” he lamented, calling the current secrecy a “recipe for disaster.”
- Transparency Gap: The MP argued that if the government had consulted with historians and the public beforehand, the current “misinformation and disinformation” consuming social media could have been avoided.
Odessa Primus: “Steps Backward in Nationhood”
MP Odessa Primus took a broader cultural stance, accusing the PPP/C government of having “no regard for nationhood” or the journey that led to Guyana’s independence.
- Celebrating the Destination, Ignoring the Journey: Primus argued that the government is “bent on celebrating where we are today” (the oil-driven economy) while neglecting the historical foundations and the “journey it took to get to this stage.”
- A Pattern of Behavior: She cautioned that the public must not take these “missteps” lightly. “When we do nothing and say nothing, their behavior gets worse,” Primus reasoned, urging citizens to demand accountability for how their heritage is handled.
- Cultural Erosion: Primus characterized the government’s actions as a “sad” reversal of the progress made in heritage preservation over the decades.
Heritage vs. Pomp
For Mahipaul and Primus, the issue at Fort Island is a microcosm of a larger governance problem: the prioritization of short-term optical wins over long-term historical preservation. As the nation prepares for its Diamond Jubilee “Homecoming,” the question remains whether the government will pause its “bulldozing” long enough to ensure that the very history we are celebrating isn’t destroyed in the process.
