On September 9 the Millet Minibus Association started suspending services to the communities of Venus Estate and Belair in protest against “unacceptable condition of the roads”. Fresh off a meeting over the weekend, the Association’s president, Cyprian Yarde, told the STAR on Monday that a decision had been taken to continue the suspension of services until complaints had been given reasonable attention. Cancelling services altogether was contemplated, Yarde said.
This week transport minister Guy Joseph agreed that the roads in question are in need of repair. However, the action taken in protest could easily have been averted with dialogue. Concerning the Belair road, he said the government’s plan was to undertake “complete rehabilitation”. In the meantime Mr. Joseph, the area’s parliamentary representative, has arranged a shuttle service for the convenience of commuters. “By the end of this year,” he said, “I expect we’ll be having a big Christmas celebration in Belair with a top class road.”
As for the Venus Estate road, Joseph said that the project falls under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP) of the World Bank. It is also marked for a complete rehabilitation. While no time frame was mentioned in this case, the MP pointed out that the Association’s protest was suspect. “While the Labour Party was in office,” he said, “both roads were in worse condition but the Association’s reaction was different then. I am not in a position to say what the motive is but I question the legitimacy of the action taken.” He acknowledged that nevertheless the roads were in dire need of repair.
Dominic Fedee is the MP for the Venus area. He too considered the protest action unfortunate: “I think it totally disadvantages the consumers, and one has to really question the motive. I leave it to others to make the connections.”
Yarde insists that his Association’s only motive is to be taken seriously by the government. He told the STAR: “To say that nothing was done under the last administration is not correct. On many occasions we did threaten protest action. I do not want this to be seen as anything political. We are simply considering our members’ interests.”
