Dear Editor,
I read with great satisfaction the Editorial “Diminishing green spaces,” Stabroek News, July 15, 2022 and let me say that I support every sentence contained within. On March 2, 2022 I wrote a letter to His Worship the Mayor and copied to all Councillors, the Town Clerk and Engineer pleading with them to put an end to the debauchery in Georgetown, and that the least we could do is to bequeath to succeeding generations of Guyanese at home and abroad, a city that we can all be proud of. Editor, as I congratulate the author of that editorial, there seem to be the following serious problems. I hope and pray we can overcome this in the not too distant future.
First, for the Central Government to walk away from this nasty and unhelpful position that they must punish a city that did not, and is unlikely, to support them politically. I’ve had my share of this mindset but only survived because of my grit and unwillingness to surrender. In fact, a prominent Guyanese, Mr. Christopher ‘Kit’ Nascimento, on examining the situation in George-town, wrote a letter asking how could the then Mayor hold on in spite of the turbulence and bricks (my words) being thrown at him.
Second, I have engaged senior members of the M&CC on issues related to the Merriman’s Mall, referenced so well in the editorial. The big problem is that we have members presiding at City Hall, technical, administrative and political, who have no concept of what is meant by preserving the charm and beauty of Georgetown. I have in exchange with them, even quoted from the book “Twenty five years (1898-1923) in British Guiana written by Henri Kirke, M.A., B.C.L., Oxon. – Sheriff of Deme-rara, in which he wrote, “from the top of the Lighthouse is a sea of Palms, out of which rise at intervals towers, spires, and campaniles. For a great part of the year, the Flamboyant trees make your eyes ache with the gorgeousness of their scarlet flowers, whilst in September and October, the Long-Johns break the skyline with their rich cream – coloured plumes, changing week by week to a real burnt sienna. The brilliancy of the flowers is rivalled by the gay scarlets, yellows, and greens which clothe the limbs of the delicate Hindus and stalwart negresses perambulating the streets.”
I tried by this reference to energize Councillors to make efforts to harmonize nature and mankind. One councillor responded by saying the Council has to find ways to raise funds – end of story. So you sell your soul for a piece of silver. The language I used in response to this folly is not printable. The other dilemma is that citizens generally seem to have lost the energy and spirit to protest, and protest and protest. Instead, I receive regular telephone calls from certain concerned citizens expressing their horror of changes on Merriman’s Mall and other areas, and they make this point that the ugliness visible when they open their windows is reducing the value of their property.
But Editor, we must neither give in nor give up and notwithstanding the elevation to high office in several areas in Guyana, we must keep writing, keep talking to dislodge the existing edifice of backwardness and ugliness, which has overcome, not only our City but other parts of our beloved country, where environmental degradation has become a curse on our people, where filthy lucre seems to be the Commander-in-Chief. Let us everywhere do what we can in Georgetown and Guyana, keep clean, green and beautiful and Editor, don’t give up. Press the Officials and decision-makers to explain this demonizing degradation of the Capital City of our Country. Let us begin with our children, learning to care, beautify and plant some patch of earth so that when they grow into adults, appreciate what is really meant to be champions of the earth. Curse and damn the British but certainly at Secondary School, Fourth Formers each had a little garden spot, which we were asked to attend and develop and that allowed us to harmonize nature and man. I call on all citizens to stand up and speak up.
Sincerely,
Hamilton Green
Elder
