What a sad state of affairs exists in our city because of politics-as-usual and a total disregard for the basic rights of Georgetown’s citizens. The city government and the central government are run by seasoned politicans who should know better and should be more skilled in how to compromise and undertake a realistic analysis concerning our city because Georgetown is still our most important centre of commerce, governance and habitation. Instead, what we are stuck with is, sadly, a reliance on blaming each other, default on proper governance by making excuses and critical shortages of money because of poor management by both entities. We, the citizens of this city, are caught in a trap of bickering, procrastination, ineptitude and constant lack of good-will on each side of the political divide. How much longer do we have to suffer a situation which, by all modern standards, is disastrous and not good for our common well-being? How much longer do we have to suffer from a city which should be a beautiful place to visit – a garden city – instead of what we have: a smelly, dirty and haphazard breeding ground for mosquitos, rats and other vermin?
How much longer do we have to endure the stray dogs, the beggars, the petty thieves and the drugged-out persons on our streets? How much longer do we have to tolerate the sources of noise abuse, the bad roads, the polluted alley-ways and the violations of building codes?
Governance is about doing things to alleviate the problems of the general population and to create the environment for a better future; it is also a process of doing practical things to promote goodwill, reconciliation and respect among all parties involved in making governance work well for the people’s welfare.
History will show us that conflict, disagreements and lack of respect always end up as negative elements resulting in dismal failures and unreliable governance; we have witnessed such failures before in our short history and it seems as if we are in for the same when it comes to Georgetown.
What can we do about the situation in our city? We can make sure that all of us register to vote in the next elections in order to bring the desperately needed changes which can end poor governance and bring stability and optimism to our people. We have that power in our hands with our vote – our most precious possession.
Yours faithfully,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr)
