GEORGETOWN – A political feud has erupted over the state of a crucial hinterland community, with the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Party claiming that residents of Kuru Kururu North have been subjected to “twenty-four years without electricity” and neglect. This dramatic assertion was immediately met with a fierce counter-attack by the local NDC Chairperson, who branded the claims a “deliberate ploy” to distract from the criminal indictment facing WIN’s leadership.
WIN incoming Parliamentary Representatives, including Dr. André Lewis, Nandranie Singh, and Janelle Sweatnam, visited Kuru Kururu North and claimed they were met by residents describing decades of exclusion, impassable roads, unsafe housing, and political discrimination in the distribution of essential services like solar panels and water tanks.
One resident was allegedly quoted as saying, “We only see government people when it’s election time. After that, they disappear and we remain in darkness.” WIN announced it would call for immediate action in Parliament for access to electricity, safe roads, clean water, and equal treatment for all.
The Indicted Leader and the Land Dispute
However, Michelle Drepaul Harrinaraine, Chairperson of the Kuru Kururu Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), responded with a fiery statement on her personal Facebook page, condemning WIN’s efforts to “spread misinformation” and “mislead the public.” She insisted that the Opposition party is engaged in a “deliberate ploy to mislead and distract Guyanese from the major issues confronting their party”, namely, the U.S. indictment of WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed for gold smuggling and tax evasion.
The NDC Chair took specific issue with WIN’s claims of underdevelopment, claiming the party had “callously” omitted the key fact that the area in question is partially occupied by squatters on both state and privately owned land.
NDC’s Defense: Investment and Infrastructure
Countering WIN’s narrative of neglect, Drepaul-Harrinaraine provided a different picture, claiming that the section of Kuru Kururu under state control has been regularized, with phased development of roads, utilities, and infrastructure currently in progress.
She asserted that all residents, including those occupying land irregularly, have full access to educational and healthcare services. Furthermore, she claimed the community has seen substantial government investment over the past three years, including GY$45 million through the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), GY$6 million in Presidential Grants, and various home improvement initiatives.
She also stated that every household has received solar panels and black water tanks, significantly improving access to renewable energy and clean water. Drepaul-Harrinaraine urged the public to “let the truth prevail,” dismissing the Opposition’s claims as a “desperate distraction tactic.”
