Dear Editor,
My initial reaction was to ignore statements by NCN, GINA, and Ministers Ganga Persaud, Norman Whittaker and Irfaan Ali dealing with the City of Georgetown. However, after reading the erudite SN editorial of May 1, titled ‘Superficial city cleanups for appearances sake,’ I deem it useful to once again remind suffering citizens of some of the contributory factors which are responsible for an ugly city, under, notionally, my watch. After all, residents, old and young, rich and poor are the real victims of the diabolical scheme of this regime, clearly for narrow partisan political purposes.
Any city to be viable requires re-planning and readjustment at given periods; cooperation between citizens, business, the media, the state and the municipal authority; effective and responsible management; and money.
First, on October 27, 1951 the Official Gazette published the report produced by town planner Mr Castello. Since then there has been a hiatus during which time the city has been expanding and changing in character, and the need to prepare a new plan to deal with the changes was evident.
In 1999 Professor Akbar Khan a renowned town planner at the instance of government, (for this the PPP needs to be complimented) was recruited to prepare a new plan to deal with the changes. After consultations with the public and all relevant agencies the Greater Georgetown Development Plan was completed, and presented to Cabinet for review. It was an excellent plan which dealt with zoning, the building code, and parking facilities, among other matters. It was all intended to relieve congestion, disorder and arrest an ugliness which was looming.
At a Cabinet meeting to which the Mayor and others were invited President Jagdeo and the Cabinet, with a few modifications, accepted the plan. Basically it requires changes to our by-laws and the necessary financial provisions. However, every effort to get the government to trigger its implementation, failed. Instead we witness ad hoc activity by the state machinery – one way streets not properly marked, confusion between Central Housing and Planning Authority, M&CC, etc, where those with connections to the powers that be now put up monstrosities, anyhow, anywhere, disposing of state lands and property which should have been used to relieve congestion, and for proper public purposes.
Zoning to cater for residential, institutional and commercial buildings is daily compromised.
There is no law to protect our heritage sites, and the charm of the city. The descendants of the 1763 revolution are insulted by, without prior consultation, the building of toilets east of the 1763 Monument. After some concerns were expressed, we now have a watch house, toilets and an office. The earlier agreement to build a national swimming pool and other sport and cultural facilities, a government office complex to bring together government officers scattered around the city and which disfigure beautiful colonial buildings, in the D’Urban Park area have been ignores.
Development is a non issue for the area – millions were spent (and we know how) putting sand in one area – so we now have an ugly ‘dumpsite’ to the disgust of the St Sidwell’s and Salem Congregational churches and residents in that area.
The surrounding area and the 1763 monument is the responsibility of the Office of the President. Not to burden this letter with umpteen examples, save to note we now walk under the huge feet of philistines – the execution of a plan to really enhance the city has for years been ignored, so what mass deception or folly is meant by GINA’s release about a plan for the city. The only plan we see is to destroy a city they cannot control at elections.
Next, cooperation: It is now crystal clear that the government comfort zone is to work only with certain of their darlings in the private sector – for example, during this so-called clean up for 13th Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Development Conference. Not once was the Mayor called to discuss this matter, not once. In any event I’m not aware of any works done in the city, by this, state-named ‘private sector‘ group.
Since it was some years ago, our youth need to be reminded as follows: Just before the last local government election for Georgetown the PPP had installed a handpicked Interim Management Committee which managed the city for 6 months. The Queen was expected and so with other excuses the PPP government poured millions into the city via the IMC, obviously to improve the PPP chances at the elections for the Georgetown City Council. Citizens were not fooled and the result was GGG 12, PNC 10, and PPP 8. Translate that to the present situation which has since evolved, it means 22 seats against only 8 for the PPP.
Forgive my bit of narcissism, but given the authority or scope with others, I can make Georgetown the Garden City it can still be in less than six to ten months. May I remind the older folks and inform the young ones of this. When I was tasked as Minister of Works, Hydraulics and Supply – that Ministry was deemed to be one of the most inept and wasteful in this part of the world – given a full rein, within a year it was the most productive.
The third requirement is consumed in the above; managers know that the powers of the Local Government Commission are with the Minister.
Finally, money: the government appointed IMC determined that rates and taxes were not enough to provide a satisfactory service to citizens. As Mayor the first request was for a city lottery, a painless way to mobilize money for the city. The government refused permission saying the religious community will be ‘up in arms’ (their words). The rest is history and many billions from Lotto are not put into the treasury, and are used at the whim and fancy of the government.
All other proposals to broaden our revenue based were rejected. Worse, even areas which earned us revenue were taken away – the Stabroek Market Car Park, the speedboat operation.
Finally we know sensible people can ignore the impact of habits and attitudes developed over time. In these days of easy travel, and communication between cultures it is our duty to help citizens inculcate good habits – an appropriate culture of learning to love and care the environment. Instead of plugging who is Champion of the Earth, GINA and NCN with their massive resources in tandem with the Ministry of Education ought to be trying to sensitize our young in particular about their responsibility to care for their immediate environment. When I proposed to a Minister of Education some years ago to include environmental education on the timetable, I was told that the curriculum was already overloaded.
Later I wrote to the Minister of Education, copied to the Head of State making a proposal to use trained personnel from the Universal Peace Federation to help craft programmes of Character Education – sort of addendum to an earlier plea for a moral and spiritual revival – but these met with a rebuff from the government.
The above represent another justification to cut GINA and NCN budgets. Put that money into the town and communities for environmental and character education. You see no matter how grim the situation or how bad the habits we may have developed, we can for all our lives learn new ways for our personal benefit and that of the country.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green, JP
