He was at the time addressing the commissioning ceremony of the Corriverton Municipal Market. The market was rehabilitated at the cost of approximately $90M under the Urban Development Programme (UDP) thorough the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

"If we give in to a proposal like that, then every other community will stop people by the roadside, harm them and say we will want $250M too. Then this country will get into chaos and that's why I absolutely rejected his proposal,” Mr. Jagdeo said.

In this regard, he urged the residents not to listen to any other source since the Government is definitely not considering that proposal. The Guyanese Head-of-state also acknowledges that the Government does not have a problem with dialogue and discussions, because that is important for a country to move forward and for Opposition and Government to work together.

He, however, noted that this could not be done through "blackmail". According to the President, the proposal by Hoyte complicates the fight against crime.

Mr Jagdeo noted that while the PPP Government has been in office the people in Buxton have received more benefits than they did in any time in the past from the PNC Government.

"We have demonstrated that people in other communities are getting benefits too, but we are still a poor country and you can't say you want jobs for young people and you want to take the youngsters out of poverty in Buxton and then try to deter investments from coming into the country," the President asserted.

Mr Jagdeo also pointed out that one ”young, Black guy” set up a hotel in Buxton where he was creating jobs, but the man had to close his hotel because of the stigma attached to that East Coast Demerara village.

The President yesterday concluded a packed two-day visit to Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) meeting residents of various communities at the grassroot, religious and administrative levels, in a committed effort to address some of their imminent concerns and problems.

Yesterday he commissioned various projects including the Corriverton Municipal Market, and held meetings with cattle farmers, rice farmers and millers. The President also visited the families of four of the persons, who were brutally gunned down during the recent crime spree. Two persons were shot dead on the Buxton Public Road while on their way to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri. Two Police Constables were also shot at Rose Hall.

During the commissioning ceremony of the Corriverton Market, the President congratulated the vendors in the acquisition of the multi- million-dollar facility.

The President also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that essential services such as passports and birth certificates are made accessible to Berbicians right there in Berbice. He noted that such services have already been decentralised from Georgetown to Essequibo.

Mr Jagdeo also said he was “fed up” of the rumours that abound in the country and which drive more fear into the citizens. He noted for instance that rumours abound in the Berbice area that the notorious criminal, Prem Sukraj, popularly known as `Inspector Gadget’, is currently in Berbice, since there have been reported sightings of the elusive wanted man.

At the same time, however, there are reports that Inspector Gadget was seen in Essequibo, on the East Bank Demerara, and West Coast and West Coast Demerara, he said.

The President urged parents to be more responsible and refrain as much as possible from exposing the young minds to all those rumours and gruesome crimes on the television and in the media.

“Parents should refrain from doing such things since the older persons can handle them better, but the children become fearful. Many if them wet their beds at night,” President Jagdeo added.