The reopening has been widely welcomed, particularly by the majority of residents of the town who had been greatly inconvenienced by its continued closure after the initial blockade.

Streets in the town which had been blocked when the protests began were soon cleared and roadblocks on the highway into the town removed.

Some protesters, however, even after the intervention by the Government at the highest level, with President Bharrat Jagdeo visiting the town twice to meet residents and stakeholders, maintained camp on the vital bridge link between Mackenzie and Wismar, and ditched the road leading to the Omai Gold Mines Limited and other mining and timber operations in the interior.

As the group maintained the bridge and road blockades, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) backed a call by the miners association to Linden residents not to block the roads into the interior and mining areas.

In a statement it also warned that "continued prolonged protests will have significant negative long-term effects not only on the community of Linden, but also all of Guyana, since (this) definitely sends negative signals to all existing businesses and potential investors who may consider further or new investments in Guyana in general and specifically in Linden."

"We therefore plead with the protesters to allow the free movement of vehicular traffic along the Wisroc, Mabura Hill and Omai roads", the PSC said. The PSC had also pointed out that the protesters at Linden, although certainly justified in protesting against the poor supply of electricity and water in their town, were "shooting themselves in the foot" by preventing Omai moving to and from its mine site in order to keep its mines in operation."

"This is simply because approximately half of Omai employees are from Linden and Omai, through their parent company Cambior, are the only viable medium and long term solution to the problems of poor electricity supply and unemployment that the town of Linden presently faces", it added.

We have argued before that people everywhere have a right to protest to draw attention to their problems after other avenues fail but this must be done within the law and acceptable limits.

Blocking the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge and the road to Omai for such a long period to the detriment of the same residents the protests were intended to benefit was unwarranted.

On Friday night, churches in Linden held a prayer meeting at the Mackenzie Sports Club before participants moved on foot in lines of threes to the Mackenzie/Wismar bridge where hundreds witnessed a meeting between church leaders and protesters still camping out there.

A church group kept vigil and pleaded with the remaining protesters to end the closure of the bridge.

Officials from the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) also visited Linden but were prevented from taking chemicals to the water treatment plants by members of the protest group who maintained the blockade despite the improvement in electricity and water supply in the town.

As the situation improved, residents made their voices heard as they approached the remaining protesters on the bridge and made it clear that it was time for them to move since the point had been made and the Government had started the process to alleviate the situation.