Moruca hostel inspection highlights upkeep and competing proposals
Kaieteur News reported that opposition lawmakers found one of two water tanks operational and no electricity at the Moruca Amerindian Hostel. The article attributes upkeep responsibility to the Regional Democratic Council, while separately reporting a government plan for a new $500 million hostel and opposition calls for repairs at Moruca.
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Kaieteur News reported that Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and MPs Tabitha Sarabo-Halley and Deon Lacruz made an unscheduled visit to the Moruca Amerindian Hostel. The delegation described problems including no electricity, unclean sleeping quarters and a sewage odour; it reported that only one of the facility’s two black water tanks was operational. Footage of the visit was published on Team Mohamed’s social-media platforms, so the conditions were presented through the delegation’s account rather than as independently verified findings by the publication.
Mohamed criticized Minister of Amerindian Affairs Sarah Browne-Shadeek over the hostel’s condition. Separately, Kaieteur News said it understood that upkeep falls to the Regional Democratic Council, under the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, headed by Minister Priya Manickchand. The account thus distinguishes the minister criticized by the delegation from the body it identifies as responsible for maintenance.
The proposed responses are also distinct: Mohamed said his team would provide immediate assistance, including beds and mattresses, while Sarabo-Halley and Lacruz called for funding for a complete overhaul in the upcoming fiscal year. Kaieteur News also reported a government announcement of a new $500 million Amerindian Hostel, with construction expected to commence shortly; the article did not say that plan would address the Moruca facility.
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