Merriman’s Mall vendors take protest to President’s office

What had been decades of hard work seemed to have been reduced to nothingness for vendors of the Merriman’s Mall, Bourda, Georgetown, who were on Wednesday morning stunned by the sudden move by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to have them remove from their place of business.

That move sparked much criticism and the angry mob took their cries to the gates of the Ministry of the Presidency.

The vendors gathered outside the President’s Shiv Chanderpaul Drive office and their irate rants became a sound warning to President David Granger, that if he did not step in to remedy the situation, then there might be trouble.

Close to 30 vendors, many of whom have been selling for close to 35 years at the Merriman’s Mall, complained that the M&CC was cheating them for no apparent reason.

The vendors said they turned up Wednesday morning, unaware that the Council had made the decision to move them.

Deokie Persaud told this publication that she has been vending at the Merriman’s Mall for over 30 years.

“I have been selling since mud was there. When mud was there, we had to pay junkie them to throw sand. Now when we develop it, and it looking better, now for we to stay and inherit it, they don’t want us there. I came this morning and I buy a set of load and all my perishable goods left there,” she lamented.

She said the Council recently told them that they needed to buy new items including polling sticks and garbage bins. “Why they make us invest so much money and now make us move?” she questioned.

Kalicharan Rooplall, whose wife has been selling plants for over 15 years at the Mall, said what was going on now has never happened before under the previous Governments.

“President Burnham, President Hoyte, President Jagan and all the Presidents have been allowing us. I want Mr Granger to know that this thing is carrying a bad reflection on you, sir. If you know it or not, it carry a bad reflection on you and the poor people. We are just hustling, sir… we have mortgage to pay, we have children to mind. All we want is to sell and eat,” the angry Rooplall said.

Marlyn Defreitas has been a vendor at the Mall for 33 years from the time it “was nothing to something”. “I don’t feel that is fair what they have done. That is bullyism,” she said with a rousing chorus from the crowd. She said no one came and notified them that they were going to be removed from the Mall. “Why must it happen like that; we have families, we have families, what happens to them; what happens to the farmers who depend on us to buy their produce? This is not fair, “she said.

Others said they were informed through the media. They said it was disgraceful that although the Council has a contact number for each of the vendors, nothing was communicated to them.

The M&CC on Monday said that it was placing a temporary suspension on vending on the Mall between Orange Walk and Cummings Street, Bourda.

It said it observed that the area was untidy and not in keeping with the vision to keep the city clean.

But the Council has been at odds with these vendors for quite some time now. Back in October last year, members of the Council pounced upon them, destroying their stalls and items without any proper explanation or prior notice.

Later that same month, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase Green had warned that if vendors did not comply with an order to become uniformed, they would lose out on the opportunity to continue. Efforts were made to contact City Council for a comment on the situation but these were unsuccessful.