Hema Ramkissoon spoke with former JCC President Afra Raymond on The Morning Brew on the cancellation of the Housing Development Company (HDC) contract with the China Gezhouba Group (CGGC). He laments the costs of public housing saying the average family cannot afford housing from HDC.
Programme Length: 00:14:50
Programme Date: 9 Sep 2019
AfraRaymond.net 
Affordable housing can also be the caption for maintenance, expansion and upgrade for those whose incomes are minimal. It is the state’s responsibility for our health and safety to map each community and to create a public plan for the best drainage, utility consumption, sanitation and health provisions. Fruit trees will provide free life sustaining and natural vitamins and nutrients that will boost health and eliminate many diseases. Broken windows symbolise poverty and the quality of glass used is far too fragile. Window construction must act as burglar proofing and not the opposite as well as weather-proofing. Bash boards are designed to rot and too many roofs use bricks and big stones to secure them. We have many unemployed and underemployed (some Servol trained) tradesmen among us who need tools and opportunities to upgrade their skills. These and so many other brilliant ideas have been discussed, written and published for decades. Everybody wins when the micro-economic sector is vibrant, fruitful and state-funded. Who go pass dis bill?
During my term as the MP for Chaguanas East we constructed 10 houses for persons who had rights to the land they were living on at a cost of $125K. This was a concrete foundation, concrete block construction, 2 bd rm, indoor plumbing, kitchen, living rm.
agreed there was no land acquisition nor infrastructure to be built.
Stephen Cadiz
Thank you Stephen, that proves my point. If there is a thrust in that direction, then the national psyche will improve and we can boast of being democratic at last, or is it at first as there is so much more to be done.