Dear Editor,
Georgetown has got a new Mayor in the person of Pandit Ubraj Narine. I cannot recall an Indo-Guyanese Mayor presiding over the affairs of the City Council and, even though refreshing, one hopes that it is not an optical move on the part of the PNC especially when seen against the background of recent remarks made by PNC Chairman Volda Lawrence.
The City of Georgetown is in need of persons who are not only politically committed to the welfare of the citizens of Georgetown but who are seized with some management experience. This, I believe, was lacking in the previous Council, a situation made worse by a Town Clerk that was behaving more as a politician than as a technical and accounting officer of the Council.
I think the Council should now look for a new Town Clerk who is technically and professionally sound, and who is not politically inclined one way or the other.
The recent Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of the Council conducted by retired Justice Cecil Kennard has unearthed some unsavoury findings which should not be allowed to repeat itself.
Georgetown is not only our capital city but is home to nearly a third of the country’s population. Both the central government and the Council have a duty and responsibility to ensure that it is properly financed and managed.
It is a shame that Georgetown is allowed to deteriorate to a point where we are now regarded as a ‘Garbage’ City instead of a Garden City as was formerly the case.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
