To ‘give Jack his jacket’, a popular saying in this part of the world, President Irfaan Ali’s move away from his predecessors’ groupthink to show genuine concern for the state of Georgetown is to be commended. Last weekend, not for the first time, saw him knee deep in a sanitation exercise along Vlissengen Road in the city. That activity was part of a country-wide clean-up campaign spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Works’ National Enhancement Committee that also saw the participation of government agencies, members of the diplomatic corps, the private sector, the joint services, non-governmental organisations and members of civil society among others.
The phrase ‘clean-up campaign’ or ‘clean-up exercise’ has been so often used in the context of Georgetown that it surely nears cliché status here. The president, therefore, must have been more than a trifle exasperated when he reiterated, according to a statement later released by the Office of the President, that enforcement would be a major aspect of keeping the city clean. One might recall that following a similar clean-up operation in January this year, President Ali had warned that there would be police presence at sites where garbage was regularly dumped to catch offenders. It would appear that the offenders heeded the warning and dumped their refuse elsewhere, since nine months later the city required yet another overhaul, but no slew of litterbugs was arrested.
The president was also quoted as saying that secondary drainage across the country (one assumes that includes Georgetown) would be improved in a phased manner, and that cleanliness and upkeep of the environment were shared responsibilities. Of course this used to be the case. Denizens of Georgetown in the 1970s and 80s kept their surroundings clean and the municipality’s sanitation workers did the rest. However, as the city grew, so did its problems. Unfortunately, its finances did not keep pace. While there is no denying that there was wastage and unnecessary spending, with its M&CC controlled by political opponents, the city was also deliberately starved of funds by the central government for more than 20 years.
Meanwhile, one imagines that like the rest of the citizenry, President Ali has had enough of the chronic dump-and-clean-up mode that has become part of the DNA of Georgetown. Nevertheless, his statements absolutely require clarification.
For instance, there is the question as to which agency – the City Constabulary or Guyana Police Force – will be responsible for anti-dumping/anti-littering enforcement. Further, what will the penalty be? Lest we forget, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) had an anti-littering enforcement campaign in March 2007, which saw more than 600 lawbreakers placed before the court in under a month, effectively clogging that already overburdened system.
Under the Municipal and District Councils Act Chapter 28:01, uploaded by the Local Government Ministry in May 2014, “Any person who— … throws any litter, refuse or other material on a council road… shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than $5,000 nor more than $20,000.” At a press conference on January 5 this year, Mayor Ubraj Narine had said he was awaiting approval from Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall for new fines to tackle littering. The M&CC’s proposal was $10,000 for a first offence, $20,000 for a second offence and no less than $35,000, but no more than $500,000 if the crime was carried out a third time. It also proposed eschewing the court process. It is not known whether the minister endorsed the proposal, but it seems unlikely given the current circumstances.
One must also query whether the Ministry of Public Works’ National Enhancement Committee is a permanent agency that will now oversee the maintenance of the capital, or if there is another such group waiting in the wings. Even if, magically, enforcement of anti-littering proved to be the panacea the president’s utterance implied, the city would still need regular cleaning – at least weekly. The drainage would need perhaps monthly maintenance and garbage collection would have to be efficient. Few citizens would really mind, politics aside, if an effective and efficient agency undertook those tasks that really fall within the remit of the M&CC – as long as the job gets done. Citizens are weary of living in a filthy city.
The fact is that Georgetown has fallen into a hole so deep, climbing out would be impossible without a leg up from the government. Unfortunately, though he seems to empathise, President Ali does not appear to be the leader under whom this would be accomplished.
