Dear Editor,
As the Chairman of the Finance Committee, comprising seven members, I am vested with the unenviable task of monitoring and evaluating the city treasurer’s department and making prudent decisions regarding the proper maintenance of the City. Admittedly, ideas and proposed solutions vary among us, but, like any democratic organ, crucial decisions are arrived at following a voting process.
This is as democratic as we could get so I was appalled by a letter penned by Councillor, Alfonso De Armas, published in the Stabroek News on November 20, 2024, titled, “City in profound financial crisis, mismanagement at epic levels.” I am astounded, and might I add, disappointed, that a sitting councillor, Mr. De Armas, can demonstrate such naivety of the responsibilities of elected councillors and the administration led by the Town Clerk. I have publicly addressed the issues he mentioned on several occasions. Therefore, his comments must be regarded as, unadulterated propaganda aimed at further maligning and tarnishing the Council’s image. Even the uninitiated must also understand that contrary to the implied rhetoric, the PPP/C councillors are actively involved in the decision-making process.
Even as we admit that the efficiency of the Mayor and the elected council is firmly vested in the administration, we also need to note that certain powers are vested in the Local Government Commission (LGC), controlled by the PPP/C. Such responsibilities encompass approval of matters related to human resources, including hiring, promotions, discipline, and terminations, among other definitive issues. Mr. De Armas ostensibly forgot to mention that the LGC has been defunct for several months and, even when it was functional, has blatantly ignored the Council’s recommendations. The concomitant result is the dysfunctional and highly undisciplined administration Mr. DeArmas professes to abhor.
The goodly gentleman then hypocritically feigns astonishment when the council experiences difficulties producing a timely budget. He portrays ignorance that the Council has received the projected estimates for 2025, but is hindered at the implementation stage of the budget preparation because the administration has yet to provide essential data. Nonetheless, the council understands the importance of creating a realistic budget, so it has hired an auditor to review our accounts and assess our assets and liabilities.
Councillor De Armas is fully aware that the process is time-consuming. If he had been paying attention he would have been cognizant that the Council has instructed the Engineer’s Department to carry out several tasks. These include identifying the location and the number of existing billboards, creating survey plans to facilitate the monetization of assets and the provision of information on Plantation Houston, among other requests. This information is essential for proper administration and to identify additional revenue streams. Unfortunately, the requested details have not yet been provided. One would have expected that, instead of spreading misinformation, Mr. De Armas would have advised his political bosses to reestablish the LGC to heighten the possibility of the acceptable order and fluidity he sanctimoniously craves. The Council would then be in a stronger position to administer appropriate discipline to dissenting staff members.
Mr. De Armas underlines the importance of consultations, stating that his party, the PPP/C, would engage with citizens. Such a commitment hardly rings true when one notes that the Central Govern-ment, where De Armas has some clout, abdicates its responsibilities to consult with the Municipal and City Council (M&CC) or the main opposition party on any issue. As a result, the council is unaware of the scope of the infrastructure projects being carried out in the city. Furthermore, it appears that the central government’s actions are intended to undermine the municipal government, with the goodly Councillor De Armas, serving as the “chief cook and bottlewash.”
The councillor casually claimed that the PNCR’s council had neglected the laws, wasted resources, and prioritized political favouritism over the city’s well-being. This is farthest from the truth and instead, should be directed at those who control the Central Government. The issues surrounding the city’s finances have been known for many years. The Interim Management Committee (IMC) of 1993, led by Dr. James Rose, a PPP/C appointee, publicly acknowledged that taxes and fees from traditional revenue-generating services were inadequate to provide satisfactory services to the citizens. There is an urgent need for additional funding sources to accommodate an expanding city to address the challenges posed by new residents, with diverse habits, living and working there.
Following Rose’s proposal, the municipal government that replaced the IMC suggested implementing a lottery. It was the Central Government that rejected this idea, citing the possibility of significant opposition from the religious community. Despite this initial resistance, within a few months, the central government approved a lottery, cradling all profits for its coffers.
The Council’s Investment Committee, as denoted, is responsible for seeking and identifying new investment opportunities. Since the formation of the last committee, chaired by His Worship Mayor Alfred Mentore, the administration has not convened a similar meeting resulting in the Council’s inability to enhance its financial position. There are indications that the administration is being unduly pressured by the central government to weaken the APNU-led council.
To effectively maintain the city, we need appropriate materials, sufficient manpower, and substantial funding. It is estimated that the annual maintenance of all primary and secondary drains, excluding canals, will cost approximately five hundred million dollars. Additionally, waste management services are projected at an estimated cost of five hundred sixteen million dollars. Further, the maintenance of markets is estimated at around one hundred fifty million dollars. These figures represent just a fraction of the services needed in other crucial areas, to wit; public health, the maintenance of public open spaces, parks, gardens, and public safety and security, among others. The current budget, which is based on our projected income, is woefully inadequate, a reality even the uninitiated can recognize.
May I categorically state that most of the shortcomings of the council cannot be attributed to accidental factors but deliberate, adverse, political intervention of known forces to seize political control of the city from the APNU. To achieve this, they have created and implemented various administrative obstacles and fostered bureaucratic inertia within the administrative organization. The political masterminds seemed to have contaminated their faithful servant, Councillor, Alfonso De Armas, who dutifully belched out their rhetoric, devoid of an intelligent overview of the situation. His objective is ‘To Sell It as I Buy It!”
The nation is assured that the country’s GDP has grown exponentially and our per capita income has reached the fourth highest in the Americas. Naturally, the M&CC expects a decrease in ratepayer delinquency but on the contrary, we have observed a steady increase in delinquency over the past few years. In 2023, a mere 49 percent of ratepayers dutifully fulfilled their obligations. Unfortunately, the largest group of delinquent ratepayers are primarily the working class, concentrated in south Georgetown. The situation is so dire that the interest and demand owed by the average delinquent ratepayer now exceed the value of their properties.
Many of these individuals have appealed to this council for debt forgiveness, but we are unable to grant their requests as the Central Government, with its avaricious claws, strictly opposes debt write-offs. The council is prepared to forgive long-standing debts, which would provide relief to thousands of ordinary working people. We recognized that it does not make financial sense to retain bad and doubtful debts, some of which date back forty years and more. I hope, for the sake of those in the working class, that Mr. DeArmas is not suggesting that we resort to ‘parate execution,’ as this would lead to homelessness for thousands of residents.
I feel compelled to ask Mr. De Armas, “Why is the Central Government opposed to debt write-offs? Additionally, why is there such an obsession with controlling the capital city?” I daresay that your projections for an immaculate city can be shared with those vested to carry out such transformations.
To the citizens, may I reiterate “The M&CC will defend your rights, and will not allow anyone to take away your properties or erase your legacies!”
Yours faithfully,
Lelon Saul
Lt Col (Ret’d)
Councillor/Civil Rights Advocate
