Dear Editor,
I embark upon this exercise with three apologies. Firstly, regarding my violation of your request for brevity of presentation but, this is crisis time. Secondly, I confess a lack of depth of training in the legal, financial administrative adequate requirements to address the present predicament of the Georgetown City Council. Thirdly, I have not had a view of the many reports such as those by Charles Liburd and Sandra Jones Associates, and most recently that of the Burrowes Committee.
My views as expressed below are those of a near-octogenarian who knows to spell the word ‘ridiculous,’ a term which charitably describes the situation at City Hall and environs.
In the first place, it must be evident to any reasoning citizen that the performance of the city council over the past 15 years is a compelling argument that the modern-day demands of the running of a business such as a city corporation cannot be entrusted to a politically comprised city council of the type inflicted upon us. We miss the intimate reports of the deceased journalist Cecil Griffith on the puerile quality of the behaviour of those he described, much to my personal distaste, as our city fathers (and mothers). But even more basic is the administrative structure of a corporation charged with the difficult and highly challenging management of the city expanded in 1970 beyond the limits of the competence of its many employees mostly lacking in academic qualification and relevant managerial training and experience.
It is difficult to imagine any modern-day corporation with so wide an administrative compass and responsibility – health, management of markets, containment of the individual street-vendor problem, day-care centres for our children, drainage, road repair, solid waste management (the big problem of the day) a city constabulary, Le Repentir Cemetery, City Engineer’s Department, building regulations and with an annual budget in excess of $2 billion headed by a Town Clerk (the Chief Executive Officer) unqualified in law, finance or public administration. Surely an MBA degree would not be out of place as the basic qualification for such a position. And then, what of the several heads and operatives of sections lacking the academic qualification and business imagination necessary to translate into action the policy and directives coming from above.
At this juncture, 10.30 am Sunday 20th inst, I have just read both your editorial of the day and the report entitled ‘Garbage Deal’ on page 9 of Sunday Stabroek. I am happy I did, since I must confess that I have apparently landed deep into the political tug-o-war between Mr Jagdeo and Mr Corbin. No problem of mine. The political war is theirs. My war as a citizen is against the forces of budgetary strangulation of the council’s financial resources and the operational inefficiencies of the city council which combine to place us in the stinking physical mess that is apparently about to be relieved in the current week. The political adversaries may have their own motives to be served for and against the institution of an Interim Management Committee (IMC).
Well, please let me state my present position. I am an unrepentant advocate of the establishment of an IMC, by whatever name it may be called, for several reasons which I must enumerate.
● It will be a timely relief from the unsupportable and ineffective political party composition of the city council in the era of crisis that has beset us for nearly two decades.
● My IMC would be comprised of citizens of technical competence in the fields of finance, law, engineering and administration, a combination much more likely to apply the principles of modern business practice which are indispensable in the conduct of the affairs of the corporation that is charged with the management of our capital city.
● My IMC would recognize that their chief executive officer and at least their senior staff must possess or immediately undertake the academic and technical training that alone can contribute the quality of support to the committee’s well set plans.
● My IMC, being composed of persons of business orientation would not be fettered or unduly influenced by considerations of maintaining artificial employee levels to the possible detriment of efficiency.
● Insofar as may be necessary, my IMC members may be retained by the government on a paid contractual basis. I want business.
There is ongoing debate over local government reform and the timely holding of local government elections. The Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown are the body corporate established under the provisions of the Municipal & District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01 of the Laws of Guyana. The establishment of an IMC would necessitate relevant amendment to the Act. It is my personal wish that Messrs Jagdeo and Corbin would see fit, even for their diverse purposes, to embark on the reform process by isolating this one item, ie the IMC substitution for a city council to be introduced into Parliament come October. This is emergency time!
Finance
I have noted over the years the references by Mr Hamilton Green, Mayor of Georgetown, to the refusal by the government to entertain the several proposals by the current city administration for the city’s undertaking of certain economic ventures or for its deriving from the central government a portion of the government revenues in compensation for services by the city in the provision of repaired roadways and disposal of garbage generated out of the city. Those initiatives have borne no fruit, but I am constrained to have regard to the claims by President Jagdeo of considerable outlays by the central government in the form of street repairs, provision of costly equipment and occasional financial bail-outs. A most untidy situation!
I refuse to become embroiled in that row.
What I must remind your readers of is the very true and accurate statement in the Sunday Stabroek editorial to the effect that the M&CC does not have sufficient funds to run the city. I agree with and emphasize in particular your observation that “the rates [that is, the general rates often referred to by the public as ‘rates & taxes’] are very low.” Your observation on the level of rates we pay is not expected to enhance your popularity, but it is a stark fact that at least the domestic rate on properties is unrealistically low to support the type and level of municipal services expected by the citizenry.
It is trite that the principal source of revenue to the city council as well as all district councils is the collection of that general rate which is payable by all land/house owners in four equal annual instalments on the first day of February, April, July and October. I do recall the publication by the Town Clerk a few years ago and on at least one occasion this year of an extensive list of defaulters including many significant amounts by business proprietors. Regrettably there is no court system capable of entertaining such a number of individual cases for recovery of arrears. I was therefore encouraged by your reference in your Sunday editorial of September 13, 2009 to my letter published in Stabroek News on November 19, 2007 dealing with the remedy of parate execution as a means of recovery of arrears due by defaulters. I had since delivered copies to interested members of the High Court judiciary and to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. It is a matter of regret that no member of the government administration, in particular the Minister of Local Government, seems to be aware to it. I trust you would be in a position to e-mail a copy to the goodly minister upon request. I apologise for any seeming immodesty in advocating it as essential reading.
I urge the existing government and ambitious opposition to give serous consideration to the bringing under the municipal umbrella of the vast ex-squatting area of land in eastern Georgetown commonly referred to as ‘Sophia’ which, although geographically in the centre of Georgetown, is not yet under the rated area of the city. Here is the danger – an area of three quarters of a square mile containing thousands of house lots whose owners continue to establish themselves as citizens with all the expectations of enjoying the facilities and services normally available to a citizen but whose family budgets do not include the payment of general rate. I rue the day when such imposition is suddenly made upon them. The problem cannot be wished away.
Yours faithfully,
Leon O Rockcliffe
