On the occasion of Portuguese Arrival Day, the Honorary Consul of Portugal, Michael Correia Jr, yesterday asked President David Granger to consider as a political priority a more comprehensive reform of Guyana’s local government system.
Correia did not state what this “comprehensive reform” would entail but pointed to the decaying City Hall as a “stark reminder of just how dysfunctional our local government system is.”
“We celebrate our Guyanese Portuguese today, and accept their heritage as a critical part of our own Guyanese heritage. But as I look around at our wooden heritage buildings in what was a lush and beautiful Garden City of Georgetown, my heart sinks when I stop in front of City Hall and stare in astonishment at a building that is in such a state of decay that it looks as though it could fall down at any moment,” he told those gathered in the compound of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church for the second annual Portuguese Arrival Day ceremony.
