Embattled council Chairman Godfrey Henry yesterday refused to comment when faced with accusations of fraud by angry residents of the communities he serves.
The livid residents of Golden Grove and Nabaclis tackled Henry during a visit to the area by PNCR Leader Robert Corbin, who had gone there to hear the residents' views on Henry's running of their affairs.
The residents charged the Neighbourhood Democratic Council chairman with not accounting for money paid to him for house lots and electricity. Given a chance by Corbin to answer the allegations, Henry declined to comment. However, he assured this newspaper that the time will soon come when he will have his say.
Over 300 residents converged at a roadside meeting held in front of the NDC Nabaclis office where they expressed their disapproval to Corbin with regard to Henry's leadership.
During the meeting, placards were waved and chants raised as the villagers, most of who claimed they had paid Henry monies for electricity, house lots and other things protested and called for him to resign. The villagers, both young and old, declared that they will not rest until Henry resigned as both chairman and councillor of the NDC.
But the long-serving chairman said he would not surrender his seat as a councillor since he had been duly elected.
Corbin listened to the villagers and promised that at a meeting planned for Monday both the villagers and the councillors will decide on the way forward with respect to Henry being chairman of the council.
Visits are also planned for the same day at Victoria, Ann's Grove and Clonbrook.
Yesterday Corbin also took time out to visit some of the schools in the district.
Speaking to Stabroek News a leading regional official said Corbin's visit began at Haslington and then moved to Golden Grove and Nabaclis. He said residents of Section 'C' Golden Grove were bitter.
According to the official, most of the residents who live through the President's College Road had paid over large sums of money to the chairman for electricity and had not yet received their connections. The official said, to compound the matter, when the residents asked Henry for their money he could not give any proper account. Henry said he had not misused the villagers' money, adding that he has records and receipts to prove it.
There was also a large turnout at the Golden Grove Market Square where residents complained to Corbin about allegations of unaccounted for market rates, land taxes and other things.
Henry told Stabroek News that he was aware of a well-orchestrated plot by some senior regional officials who are trying to force him out of office. "But I will not bow to pressure, because if they make me go public the matter would get out of control."
Meanwhile, workers at the NDC Nabaclis office have stayed away from the job and have placed posters on the walls of the office calling for Henry's resignation. They have not been paid since November.
Henry told Stabroek News yesterday that even though he has not been reporting for duty, his staff changed all the locks on the building. "What they are doing is not right. I have documents in that place. What they are doing is illegal."
He said he was aware that most of the staff were against him, but he had confidence in his councillors, who he said understood the current issues.
Asked why they had changed the locks, a staff member said," We don't want he in this place. We don't want he to come in and do whatever he please."
The worker added that Henry had been telling people that some of the money he was accused of stealing was left at the office, but checks in the vault proved otherwise.
Henry has been complaining that defaulting ratepayers were holding back the work in the NDC. He said too that the Regional Democratic Council had stopped giving his council work and as such, it was not making any money. This, he said, is what caused the council to incur an overdraft on its budgetary allocation to settle some outstanding debts and also assist in paying staff.
Corbin's visit yesterday came in the wake of party members expressing disgust and disappointment at the manner in which Henry has been running the NDC; it also came one day after he had met regional officials and Henry.
Stabroek News was told that only the minister of local government could call on the chairman to step down. Some councillors had written to the minister requesting that he sack Henry, but they have received no reply. Yesterday this newspaper tried to make contact with the minister but he was unavailable.