‘Your president is ready to work with you’ – Ali tells Mocha squatters

As the opposition members who vowed to support the remaining Mocha/Arcadia squatters in their bid to remain on the government-owned lands remain silent in the wake of their court loss, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali is extending a helping hand to these residents as they begin to rebuild their lives.

The head of state underscored the government’s commitment to inclusivity and responsiveness, as well as its dedication to the well-being of its citizens.

President Ali appealed to the remaining squatters that his government is ready and willing to work with them on the way forward.

These squatters recently lost the court case against the government in which they sought damages totaling over $200 million for their removal from the state-owned Mocha Arcadia/ Caneview land.

For context, they refused to relocate from the area, despite having been served adequate notices by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), and despite the government’s attempts to incentivise this relocation.

“We are a humane government. We see every single citizen as a responsibility of the PPP/Civic government,” the president said during a live broadcast on Thursday.

He said that it is unfortunate that these squatters were misled by the opposition who sought to capitalise on the situation to gain political mileage.

“Whilst they stay silent on you, your president is ready to receive you. Your government, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government has an open door and open policy to make the life of every Guyanese better, including yours…Know that you have a friend in us,” he further emphasised.

Last week, Chief Justice Roxane George ruled that the squatters have no rights, interests or title to the lands, which are lands owned by the State. Those lands are properly known as Block ‘X’ Plantation Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, and are lands through which the four-lane Highway, now known as the Heroes Highway, traverses (Republished from the Department of Public Information)