After being blocked for just over three weeks, the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge was yesterday cleared by protesters and handed over to the police amid improving electricity and water supplies in Linden.
The seizure and blocking of the bridge on March 28 had been precipitated by the collapse of the power and water supply systems in the bauxite mining town. The blockade of the bridge had caused great hardship on both sides of the river and cut off traffic into and out of the town. A large part of Linden is now receiving some electricity and water and improvement measures are continuing.
The protesters, mainly Rastafarians, summoned the police E&F Division of Linden at around 5:45 am yesterday inviting them to witness the release of the main passage between the two shores along the Demerara River.
Protesters had several days ago stopped blocking a vital road in Linden leading to the interior. The blocking of that road had severely affected operations of Omai Gold Mines Limited and a number of other companies with interior operations. That road was freed up after a promise by the government to release $50M to improve it.
When Stabroek News visited the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge yesterday afternoon all the barriers that were erected had been removed. A trailer that was placed on the road on the Wismar end, just before the bridge, was also gone and the vehicles that were trapped on the bridge had been driven away. The MFK Trading truck which had been trapped in the centre of the bridge, was the only one visible at the time of the visit. The driver was on the Wismar end changing his tires. He told the Stabroek News that sometime yesterday morning he had received a call advising him to go and get his truck. He said that there was no damage to his vehicle and nothing had been lost. The sand bags and large piles of wood and bramble that were blocking the bridge from the Mackenzie end were all gone.
The clearing of the bridge was done by the Linden Mayor and Town Council, (which had one of its trucks trapped on the bridge), and the Linden Mining Enterprise.
It was not clear what led the protesters to end their action or if there were any conditions attached to their decision. However, some residents said it was as a result of the lack of support from most residents in the town for the blockade.
Some were saying that they were convinced that it was as a result of an all-night prayer meeting held by the Christian community.
All the churches in Linden held a united all night prayer meeting and vigil at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground on Friday last. At 4 on Saturday morning, over 1,000 persons attending that session marched to the bridge where in unity they prayed in relation to several issues affecting the development of the town, the main one being the closure of the bridge. While some of those blocking the bridge welcomed the Christians there were some who were constantly shouting `Fiah Bun' and were unrelenting.
At a meeting at the Bayrock Community Centre Ground on Saturday a female protester had announced that she was one who was in full support of the continued holding of the bridge and said the protesters would not have released it under the influence of any one person or the Christian community. She had said that that decision would have been made following the third visit in recent weeks to Linden of President Bharrat Jagdeo scheduled for tomorrow.
Others said that the release of the bridge was prompted by an appeal by the Guyana Water Incorporated's (GWI) Public Relations Officer Audreyanna Thomas on Friday. They said that her appeal was very convincing and had pointed out the lasting effects that Linden would suffer if the bridge was not cleared soon so that essential supplies could get through. GWI at the time was denied passage to transport chemicals for the water treatment plants on the Wismar end. The encounter between Thomas and the protester was aired almost every hour on the Linden television station.
The clearing of the main passage between the two shores came at a time when Lindeners were becoming concerned and fearful of the ferryboat services. They complained that if the bridge was not re-opened there could be a loss of life on the river as boats were transporting large quantities of cargo along with passengers and there were very few life jackets.
The opening of the bridge has brought great relief to the community as well as those companies that pass through the town to get to their interior locations. Just Saturday morning some small loggers had started floating their lumber across the Demerara River from the Wismar end and reloading on another lumber truck at the Mackenzie end. They had said that they were trapped on Wismar's shores for more than two weeks and the exercise had doubled the cost of transporting their lumber.
Other interior operators were also severely affected since they could not transport fuel and food to work.