Current Vice-Chair of the Industry/Plaisance Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Vanessa Benn, has strongly criticized former Chair Rodwell Lewis for making baseless allegations of racism. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Benn expressed her disappointment with Lewis’s unfounded claims while asserting that the community is experiencing positive changes under the leadership of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
Benn emphasized the NDC’s commitment to addressing various issues in the community, including poor infrastructure, roads, drainage, and irrigation problems inherited from the previous council. In response to Lewis’s accusations, she expressed both disappointment and a lack of surprise.
She called for an end to such behavior and stressed the importance of unity and focusing on improving the lives of the people in the community. Benn also mentioned her hope for continued dedication to enhancing the NDC’s services for residents.
Benn attributed her and the councilors’ ability to serve their positions to the democratic process and the PPP’s promises of delivering on their commitments. She underlined that the removal of vendors was not within the NDC’s jurisdiction and expressed sadness over the emphasis on the vendors’ ethnicity in the arguments put forth by Lewis.
Benn recounted her participation in discussions with vendors and Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo regarding road expansion works along the Railway Embankment in Plaisance ‘Line Top.’ She highlighted that the government is committed to finding practical solutions and that ethnicity should not be a focal point of these discussions.
In conclusion, Benn emphasized the importance of unity and teamwork for the community’s development, highlighting that divisive tactics and unfounded racial allegations hinder progress. She expressed the hope that the community’s growth will match the positive changes being implemented by the NDC.
