Dear Editor,
Kaieteur News reported on its issue of Wednesday May 19th, with the headline “City moving closer to imposing stiffer penalties with new anti-littering bylaws.” I salute the Mayor and City Council for taking this initiative. The city of George-town and its environs have been transformed from a beautiful “garden” city to the “garbage” city. Not only does this wanton disposal of garbage by our citizens unhealthy for all users, the site of the streets after a normal rainfall is really deplorable. Nothing feels better than walking on streets that are free of garbage.
In executing this new law, I call upon the City Constabulary to be professionals in the execution of their duties, and to arrest all perpetrators. A few years ago, the city began arresting citizens for littering the streets. What I find painful is the fact that the names of the people arrested and charged were overwhelmingly Guyanese of Indian descent. The message the City Constabulary was sending is that other ethnic groups will get a pass for littering, but the Indians will be arrested and charged. I trust that the Mayor and the City Council will supervise the implementation of this new bylaw, and ensure that the City Constabulary Officers execute their function in a fair, professional and equitable manner, regardless of the ethnic makeup of the perpetrators.
Sincerely,
Charles Sugrim
