Dear Editor,
A few days ago, I visited the Mausoleum area in the Botanical Gardens. I was delighted to see pupils on a school tour having fun. It was heart wrenching though, to see the state of the Botanical Gardens. Editor, I can remember as a young girl being taken by my mom on holiday picnics either in the National Park or the Botanical Gardens. Those days the scenery was beautiful in the well-maintained Park and Gardens. The ponds were clearly well kept with the lilies adding much colour. The Mausoleum, the final resting place of Guyana’s first Executive President, the late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, was always well maintained including the polished appearance of the marble stones.
During this visit to the gardens, I noted that the external drains along Vlissengen Road are in urgent need of de-silting. Garbage was dumped along the parapet of the main driveway into the Gardens and this was compounded by heavy vegetation. The Seven Ponds, the final resting place for the Late President Hugh Desmond Hoyte, SC, President Mr. Arthur Chung, our first post – independence Governor-General, Sir David Rose, and Poet Martin Carter, was a sorry sight. The ponds were filled with stagnant water and thick green moss and the immediate surroundings poorly maintained. Editor, with the 2023 budget at $781.9B, I call on the government and the agency with responsibility for the Botanical Gardens, to plug some resources into the restoration and enhancement of this landmark, which is in the heart of the Capital City, Georgetown.
I conclude by saying that it seems the Government’s plan is to continue spending taxpayer’s money building roads and bridges at exorbitant prices and without the necessary accountability. It is time National Monuments, Heritage Sites and other Historical Landmarks be properly budgeted for and maintained as part of the plan to manage our national patrimony. It is time we get it Right!!!!!
Sincerely,
Annette Ferguson M.P
