Dangriga Residents Demand More Community Investment at Zabaneh Meeting

Dangriga representative, Hon. Louis Zabaneh held his first semi-annual public meeting on Sunday to discuss the community’s business however, residents are clamouring for more community investment. Harry Arzu has more.

Harry Arzu: The Mayor of Dangriga, Robert Mariano and the area representative for Dangriga, Sarawee and Hope Creek, Honorable Dr. Louis Zabaneh, held their first semi-annual report at a town hall meeting to the public. The municipal leaders started out by making their presentations on some of their major achievements, progress and future developments for the residents of Dangriga. 

Hon. Louis Zabaneh: “We started out by discussing how our government found the state of affairs in the country on November 2020. We discussed how the economy was in shambles even before COVID and then the impact of COVID and the valiant effort that was made; led by our Prime Minister, Right Honorable John Briceno and our team. Then we discussed what the people had asked us to prioritize as we had gone to campaign house to house. Jobs was the number one concern at the time and then other issues, for example infrastructure, education, especially access to land, all of those things were given to us by the residents.”

Harry Arzu: Residents were given the opportunity to ask the leaders questions and during the questions and answer segment of the meeting, tension erupted among some residents. While they strongly defended their position on some pertinent issues that they consider to be of utmost importance to them. Take a listen. 

Resident: “So we need more public buying. For the good things that are happening, I support development. I also want us to give our residents a bigger role in the development so that they can participate more than being employees at the welcome party. We want to invest and we want a bigger role in that welcome party. You also said that in your first term you invested 20.6 million dollars in total in the Dangriga constituency. Going around, currently, on the campaign trail, so yes, it might seem like a campaign speech, but going around, we do not see this on the ground. We do not see that we invested 20.6 million dollars into our residents.”

Resident: “So I would like to know how many people from here, from Dangriga are currently employed. When it’s all said and done, I see what appears to be a hotel in the module. Who’s the owner of that hotel? Who will own it? Who will operate it? How will the people of Dangriga  benefit on a perpetual basis? Not just to fix the beds and go in front of the hotel to dance Punta. Not just that we want to be invested in that. If there will be a bar, restaurant out there, how will the bidding process take place? The booths, who will be in charge of the booths? How much will it be, who will get priority.”

Harry Arzu: At one point, police officers had to intervene to contain the heat. Reporting for Love News, from Dangriga, I am Harry Arzu.