What follows, from paragraph two hereunder, are my recycled thoughts first published here more than three years ago. They merit timely repetition today because the Georgetown Municipality’s attempts to regularize or upgrade haphazard, even illegal vending, squatting, years-long violation of City by-laws have attracted quite a few self- righteous criticisms from the community or the “brigade” of vendors and their self-appointed representatives. Years ago, I was arguing that the Capital’s Council and other “authorities” had themselves to blame. My sentiments below, primarily in the context of a former irresponsible, cavalier administration.
The Municipality’s inconsistent attempt (s) to remove/relocate the Merriman Mall vegetable vendors aroused well-known anthems.
“Is fifteen year now we selling hay!” “I deh pon dis mall years now”. “How dey can move we now?” “I’s a single parent wid bills to pay, when dey gun put we?” And such like “indignations.”
Is it not easy to analyse, to dissect why the vendors, the roadside mechanics and barbers, the parapet squatters and the obstructionist pavement residents feel that they have “rights” to ignore regulations and laws? In the case of the City’s street and pavement vendors especially, their disrespect has/had its genesis in the inconsistencies and the executive lawlessness from the very top – the corridors of government authority.
The “small man” vendor, itinerant hawker or sidewalk shoe-repairman, all know of big-business violations being winked at.
They know too that City Constables and market fee-collectors accept “a raise” to allow favoured ones to occupy spaces illegally. They know that the famed everlasting Council of the City “boasts” officers who allow building constructions that should not be. These sellers experience inconsistency, discriminatory “enforcement” and outright rip offs. So who can blame them for believing their own municipal illegalities are the norm?
Other civilized cities teach, then enforce, there are tested and respected requirements of health, cleanliness, working hours, ultimatums and registration. Our culture of lawlessness does not now accommodate order.
Poverty? Need?
Lawlessness regularised
The legacy of lawlessness is no different where the “even higher” level of government order or authority is concerned.
The breakdown in enforcement, from street level traffic-violation, to customs-requirements, to official housing scams, is now a given. Exemplified, to me, by the issue of squatting.
Many years ago a University of Guyana acquaintance, a Mr Scott, guided me with an assignment I had to do directly related to the social phenomenon of squatting. I learnt of the origins, causes, nature and characteristics of that reality. What became clearer to me, besides poor people’s basic needs, was that far too many welcomed the freedom and “freeness” squatting offers. The giant Sophia had both political and housing implications.
Those who already owned or rented homes squatted. Those who knew that illegal occupation of space would be regularized, squatted. Others who guessed that central or local authorities would offer then alternative space squatted.
I learnt of genuine dire need, but I saw where and when law-breakers relished setting up shop on other people’s unoccupied spaces, or on embankments, verges, reserves, even parapets. Instead of being removed instantly or early, they were actually allowed to acquire water, telephones and electricity. Years and years after, they were deemed “illegal” and warned to remove. Now who’s to be blamed for “protest”? Discuss…
Resisting necessary change
Most of the preceding observations were generated within the past two/three decades.
The new administration now seeks to change to rejuvenate. Behavioural change can take years. Like cancers entrenched, wrong-doing challenges excision. As the capital’s municipality and all other local government bodies are soon to be properly elected, it is to be hoped that resistance to good productive order will not prevail. Citizens should surely see the benefits of lawful guidance and good order reflecting those standards they admire in foreign places.
Our Dunbar, Hitler’s
new Europe (?)
Sincerely, I’ve never thought of actually living anywhere else except within these borders named Guyana. Perhaps my ambitions were/are severely limited and my personal and national pride limitless, boundless.
In the fifties and sixties, as a lad in our B.G. colony, I watched cousins migrate. An old ‘plane to Trinidad the “Lady” Boat to England or a transit flight straight to New York. Then during Mr Burnham’s reign thousands sought exile-both economic and political.
From adulthood – post-18 migration fascinated me. Colonials seeking “better” in mother countries; in the West. Guyanese running for opportunities elsewhere. After all, for decades our political managers engineered our standing still or going backwards. Yet we’ll surely find things to “celebrate” this year, fifty years after we gave up the Queen.
Rudolph Dunbar left in the nineteen-twenties for New York then London. The Sunday Stabroek piece tells us that he was a phenomenal Black British Guianese; a Clarinetist, who when he wasn’t a World War Two correspondent, managed to conduct the London Philharmonic then the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, the latter just after the second World War had ended.
Now Adolf Hitler could have been this planet’s most accomplished leader, had he been motivated by love, compassion, humanitarianism.
Instead, the fellow from Austria, who could have been named Schicklgruber instead of Hitler, was exposed to anti-Semitism, and was early anti-Bolshevik. Early hatred for Jews and Russians. Promising to take the German masses out of poverty his Nazis wanted to rule Europe, then the world.
Imagine what he thought of Black Africans! He left the Olympic stadium when Afro-American Jesse Owens won. Could he have lasted through any performance by our conductor Dunbar in Berlin?
Now the murderous ISIS terrorists want to rule the entire Middle East – and the world no doubt.
So Germany’s Leader-Chancellor, the Lady Angela Merkel, has allowed thousands of Arab/ Muslim/Middle Eastern refugees into Germany. Conscience or Compassion? (Poor Hitler)
On migration, culture,
integration…
Those refugees come from oil-rich lands. Their leaders and tribal conflicts ravage their homelands. They were never always poor and needy. Like our folks – and Africans and Asians – who migrate.
Now imagine 10,000 Guyanese arriving in Antigua, St Vincent, Aruba or Cayman Islands over say a two-month period. What’s the likely reactions there?
Thousands of immigrants, legitimate, but not expected or catered for, can cause long-lasting injury to host societies. The Muslims’ cultural and religious needs can either modify or overwhelm Europe’s relative tranquility. Some E.U. nations may need cheap labour but even that has to be structured. Can Europe cope? “Good” for them?
Heard what’s happening in some peaceful European cities and villages where the Middle East refugees are “enjoying” asylum?
So, if we underpopulated folks here, can ever manage the event, could we “integrate” 5000 immigrant/refugees in the Essequibo county? After managing our own returnees? Ho-ho
Really! Consider…
.1) It’s not the children who were under surveillance specifically. Blunders occurred when it was thought documents were being disposed of. But what about warrants?
.2) Reportedly they smoked a few joints/spliffs before they murdered helpless victims viciously. Disrespecting, misusing useful marijuana?
.3) Do you know that Mrs Granger knows “a thing or two” about Venezuela’s outrageous claims?
‘Til next week!
(allanafenty@yahoo.com)
