Dear Editor,
I am writing with a heart full of jubilation and a head brimming with confusion over the recent announcement of Georgetown’s annual budget: a staggering $3.29 billion Guyana dollars, or for those more comfortable with the global hegemon’s currency, approximately $15.6 million US dollars. As I sip my morning coffee, I can’t help but marvel at this impressive financial feat. I imagine the envious whispers echoing through the halls of city councils from Paramaribo to Port-au-Prince.
First, let’s raise a toast to our beloved Georgetown, a city that valiantly stretches every dollar to its thinnest. Our population, a modest 200,000 souls, now basks in the glow of a budget that equates to a mere $78 US per capita. With this princely sum, I am sure we will see dramatic improvements in public services. Perhaps we will have the world’s first potholes that double as fishponds, or traffic lights powered by the eternal hope of our citizens.
Now, let’s look at our peers. Take Bridgetown in Barbados, with its measly $22,000 US per capita budget. What a pity that their residents will miss out on the joy of watching their tax dollars evaporate into the ether. Or Port of Spain, where a whopping $900 US per capita must lead to untold misery – can you imagine having that much money to waste on trivialities like healthcare and education?
But why stop at the Caribbean? Let’s compare our triumph with global heavyweights. In Copenhagen, Denmark, the city budget balloons to an obscene $2,800 US per capita. Surely, the Danes are simply drowning in public amenities and efficient services, deprived of the character-building experience of navigating streets adorned with artisanal trash heaps.
Closer to home, our neighbours in Suriname’s Paramaribo might gawk at our financial wizardry. With their relatively inflated budget, they squander opportunities to nurture the frugal spirit that defines us. They miss out on the daily challenge of making do with less, a challenge that molds character and fosters innovation, like converting every power outage into a romantic candle-lit evening.
In closing, I propose a new city motto: “Georgetown: Where Less is More.” Our budget may be minuscule, but our spirit is indomitable. Let us embrace our fiscal constraints with pride, for it is not the size of the budget that matters, but the size of our resolve to make it stretch like rubber bands on the verge of snapping. Then again, the city could impose a new hotel and casino tax on visitors, which exceeded 200,000 in 2023.
Yours faithfully,
Keith Bernard
