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A capital in chaos

Slowly, imperceptibly, we have lost control of downtown Georgetown to the chaos and confusion that constitutes commercial life. The Georgetown City Council no longer even pretends that it has the capacity to maintain a sense of order in the city and no one else appears unduly worried about the unfolding tragedy.

Perhaps CARIFESTA X will witness a frenzied, last minute, temporary clean-up of sorts; and when the event has come and gone we will quietly return to the customary urban squalor.

For all its overbearing bluster the Georgetown City Council has failed to match the tenacity of the vendors or to respond effectively to the web of corruption –to which some of its officials now openly admit - that has kept so many vendors on the streets. The vendors themselves may argue that theirs is a well-intentioned response to high urban employment which is really no more offensive than the transgressions of those established businesses that customarily cordon off sections of pavement – some without City Hall approval – to facilitate renovation works or those who encumber the parapets with cumbersome cargo containers which have now become short-term storage space despite what the police say is a clear understanding that the containers should be emptied and moved with dispatch.

And while the chaos grows the various mouthpieces of the business community like the Private Sector Commission, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Guyana Manu-facturing and Services Association et al, remain silent about the loss of our city. They are not, it seems, in the least bit bothered about the hideous aura that surrounds our capital. The chaos, meanwhile, serves as a convenient theme for political outpourings about the state of the urban environment and the need to fix the damage. The next day - after the political pronouncements have served their questionable purpose – the drains remain choked with filth and food boxes, the pavements are still encumbered by vendors and barricades, business entrances remain blocked by forty-foot containers – and our merchants and our traders nestle comfortably in the squalor then the rains come again and the city is deluged. The whole overbearing cycle serves as fitting testimony to an urban civilization that has grown comfortable with squalor and a commercial culture that has long grown comfortable with the chaos.

Perhaps we should cease to point fingers at the municipality whose protracted ineptitude has been a function of the collective indifference of the citizenry. The real truth is that we do not care enough, we are not sufficiently outraged over the fact that Georgetown has become a city of unbridled chaos to draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough and seek to take our capital back.

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4 Responses to “A capital in chaos”

PeterBlack
on July 11th, 2008 8:58 am

Let us have that local government reform and give the council some more teeth to bite with. None of the news media have questioned what ever happen to local government reform,instead they blame the city council over and over again. Hamilton Green has made it clear that even if they weed out corruption and collect all the taxes,they would still be a short fall of revenue to clean that city.

Stabroek news should get a reporter to do a story on the death of local government reform.

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Arcadia Terry
on July 12th, 2008 10:26 pm

The Capitol Georgetown will be preserved when the people that dwell and do business in it show more respect for the city , Often times as a visitor I stand and watch the people who do business try to keep their surroundings clean but there are others who dont care , and as time goes by the results is what we see today , smelly drains with a lot of u name it also dusty streets , after looking for a while at this problem i realise the people who are complaining must share a lot of the blame it starts with the litter bugs.

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Greg
on July 16th, 2008 12:46 am

The deplorable situation in the city is due mainly to a stand off between the mayor and govt. The mayor should recognise that based on Guyanese politics he would not be allowed to make a positive impression in the city so in the interest of the city (and not self interest) he should resign and recommend an interim management committee so that the govt. will help with funds.

Secondly, there are other ways to garner revenue. Heavy trucks in the city, minibus park revenue, revenue for major events in the city, public and private parking, etc. The city constablary should be given authority to write trafic and other tickets and have the revenue go to its coffers. A fraction of revenue from police fines in the city should go to the city. It takes imagination, will power and proper enforcement of the bylaws.

Third, There is a need to de-emphasize the road side markets in the city and break up the madness around downtown and in front of stabroek market. A farmers type market or a mall should be set up around the industrial area, sophia or in the area south of the old Ruimveldt shopping plaza to accomodate the vendors.

Stabroek should be upgraded to be a tourist destination with the fish, meat and greens sections removed to give way to art and crafts businesses. Georgetown should be a tourist attraction with clean streets,commercial business that does not spread on to the streets, govt. departments, good food and a pleasant night life.

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A380100
on July 22nd, 2008 12:50 am

If Georgetown develops then it would appear as if someone other than the PPP did something good for Guyana and we cannot have that can we.

Meanwhile common people continue to suffer at the expense of the games the politicians play. Don’t play with poor people folks it will come back to haunt you.

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