Dear Editor,
I write to endorse the comments made by the writer who made an appeal to public officials to uphold the human rights of the residents of Irving Street and Bel Air in his/her letter published on February 25, 2020. (`Residents in and around Irving St demand that this abuse of their human rights be stopped’)
We evacuated our Irving Street home on Republic Day and returned the next morning to the awful sight of the litter left behind. Some cleaning has been done but the litter in the drains was left untouched: until the next rainfall that will push the boxes, bags and bottles to clog the drains?
Our home was singled out this year for the particular eye-pass of having two portable toilets planted right outside our residence; no doubt done at the instructions of our goodly Mayor and City Council. To not have witnessed the vulgarities that are now part and parcel of Mashramani nor to have been subjected to the lawless noise levels has ensured that the quality of life I do manage to garner in Guyana has remained intact. But to be forced to flee one’s home in order to do so is not in any way what any government should wish or require for any of its citizens.
To place Republic Day celebrations in context: when Mashramani began back in the 1970s under the aegis of President Burnham, it lasted a couple of hours; the music levels were tolerable; there were floats that were followed by people who simply tramped behind them. True it had a militaristic flavour and sported banners and placards that supported the PNC Government’s policies. However, after the parade passed down Church Street and Irving Street on its way to the National Park, everyone simply went home.
Mashramani has since devolved into an all-day, all-night brawl and a sprawl of lawless behaviour. This devolution will likely continue which means that Mashramani has long outgrown its geographical placement within residential areas of the city.
I have stated as much in previous letters but perhaps this needs to be repeated. I have also even suggested alternative routes for the parade that will take it into the commercial centre of the city and away from residential areas. Why not use Main Street or Camp Street?
Successive governments like to boast that they have in their employ the country’s best and brightest. Surely, these excellent men and women can plan a parade route that will ensure peace, security and happiness for every citizen.
The current election campaigns are promising us all the moon and the stars. For the residents of Queens-town, Bel Air, and Kitty, we would like a government that will listen, understand, and take concrete measures to correct this vexing and intolerable situation.
Yours faithfully,
Ryhaan Shah
