Santa Rosa council says it did not approve Opposition Leader's planned visit

The Santa Rosa Village Council has said it did not approve a planned visit by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed to the Moruca, Region One village on Wednesday, arguing that the trip would conflict with an engagement already scheduled by President Irfaan Ali. In a statement issued by Toshao Raul Hendricks, the council said President Ali’s meeting with residents had been arranged before Mohamed’s proposed visit. According to the statement, the council had suggested to Mohamed’s representative, Member of Parliament Deon La Cruz, that the Opposition Leader’s visit be rescheduled to another day. However, the council said it had since learned that Mohamed intended to proceed with the visit. “We view this as disrespectful to the Village Council and in contravention of the Amerindian Act of 2006,” Hendricks said in the statement. Under Guyana’s Amerindian Act, village councils have authority over the management and administration of their villages and play a central role in coordinating official engagements within their communities.