Dear Editor,
The Stabroek News front page photograph of Monday, November 11, showing the pile-up of garbage is instructive, but it represents only a part of the sad story; see the north and south of City Hall.
For reasons which are not a secret the Government is apparently behind an errant and irresponsible acting Town Clerk.
Only one example, for now: two weeks ago the Full Council examined the garbage situation; we heard from the Director of Solid Waste, Mr Walter Narine that his hands were tied due to a lack of machinery and manpower and as a result Council determined that it was necessary to reengage the two solid waste contractors to ease the situation and attenuate a potential health hazard. In other words we needed maximum capacity.
Two weeks after the decision the acting Town Clerk says nothing, does nothing but on the ‘action taken’ column against decisions taken by Council appeared her stock-in-trade reply ‒ “not implementable,” with no explanation and no reason. This is strange and unbelievable, but true ‒ this is Guyana.
If the acting Town Clerk and her sponsors would only take the trouble to walk around the area contiguous to City Hall, they would observe the pile-up of garbage in King Street between Regent and Charlotte Streets in the very alleyway that runs through City Hall compound. Unless you are mentally retarded or have a diabolical agenda, it should be crystal clear that we need to increase capacity and not reduce it.
This must be a centrally directed plan – recall a Minister of Local Government saying he wished for a health crisis in the city ‒ these persons in charge of our administration are so myopic, so callous, and if I may say, silly. Do they not realize that in today’s ‘situation’ if there is a health crisis in Georgetown it will not be confined to the city limits?
This acting Town Clerk could not with such gumption defy the duly elected Mayor and Councillors without ministerial backing, which may explain why not all the local government bills have yet been assented to.
But being aware of the state’s mode of operation, do not be surprised if with their propaganda machinery in high gear, the Government will mobilize machinery, manpower and, of course, money, to do a massive clean-up in the city. The high cost to taxpayers matters little. They will bring on their Freedom House recruited ‘Drainage and Irrigation Workers,’ who sometimes dig and dump. Their diabolical plan is to give the impression that the Mayor and City Council cannot get the job done – ‘We, the PPP government will do it.’
Throw a man overboard then with ready-made headlines Government comes to the rescue ‒ cameras, television and radio show the world that they are the great saviours. But you cannot fool all the people, all the time.
But where is the private sector in all this? Their businesses generate quite a percentage of waste, particularly at this time. They too, will be affected.
Where is the Ministry of Tourism, or will they be in the chorus line chanting, “We saved Georgetown once more,” then it’s business as usual. The operational hours of the landfill facility at Haags Bosch are still a constraint. At this time we need a facility to receive garbage operating on a 24-hour basis.
Yours faithfully,
Hamilton Green
Mayor
