Dear Editor,
The Marriott has opened its doors to the public- national and international. It represents another lie on the part of the government that it was built by investors; the nation found out, from a confession by Dr Roger Luncheon, that it was built with the hard- earned dollars of taxpayers of Guyana in the face of stern objections from their representatives. So while PPP/C party members were wining, dining and giving fanciful speeches many taxpayers were at home studying where the next meal will come from or what they will put in their children’s lunch kits for school.
The government keeps taking more and more from Guyanese by way of taxes- PAYE, VAT and other taxes that they have little to meet even basic needs. My main concern here is that government has been callous and cold in its approach to the hard working Guyanese people; they have shown no interest in the felt needs of our citizens.
In addition, taxpayers’ dollars was used to employ 100% Chinese labour to build the Marriott.
However, it would be interesting to see the code of ethics for the Marriott brand. Perhaps, it would be a good thing if Marriott published its code of ethics for the general information of the Guyanese public.
A code of ethics guides all managerial decisions, creating a common framework upon which all decisions are founded. Also, this can assist to create a cohesive understanding of the boundaries within an organization and the standards set for interacting with external stakeholders. My view is that such an international brand has to be concerned with economics as well as other issues involved in local economies in which it operates, including those that are contrary to democracy and good governance.
There is something wrong with it, there is something wrong when a minority government, in the face of objections from the majority of citizens can ignore those objections and just go ahead and construct a hotel. More, the Marriott is standing in the midst of a city whose elected Mayor and councillors have been denied every proposal to generate revenue to provide core services to citizens including garbage collection.
As a result, the city’s solid and liquid waste management programme is inefficient; parapets remain unkempt and drains are clogged by plastic, Styrofoam and a host of other things. So while the government talks about tourism and international brands they must know that, hotels alone cannot enhance our prospects in that industry; drains, road networks, garbage collection and disposal, open spaces and parks, enforcement of the building codes, street lighting, public places, environmental and public health services, security, and the hard and soft environment ought to be properly planned and implemented; they are all interrelated and vital to the tourism industry.
Also, I do not know that this hotel will enhance our city treasury. The last time I checked, there was no valuation available for that property.
In fact, the hotel itself was constructed on lands that were ceded to the council in the late 1950s during the Mayoralty of Sir Lionel Luckhoo. Again, the city was not properly consulted.
Yours faithfully,
Ranwell Jordan
Former Mayor City of Georgetown
