Dear Editor,

WELL, well, well! Is it not yet ground zero at the Georgetown City Council? Is it not yet time to call in the Audit Office of Guyana and have a thorough forensic audit of its financial systems? Is it not yet time to call in the national police? And is it not yet time to have a Commission of Inquiry at City Hall? Where there is no vision, the people perish.
With the municipality owing credit unions over $26 million; the National Insurance Scheme $127.4 million; and the Guyana Revenue Authority, $132 million, what worse can happen at the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown that would prompt the central government to intervene and restore some semblance of sanity there. And we have not begun to talk about their debts to agencies such as the Guyana Power and Light, the Guyana Water Inc and the other creditors

Why is it left to the poor workers to have to go on strike to ensure that the deductions from their hard-earned wages and salaries are remitted to the relevant agencies.
Listening to the Council’s administration, one would never get the impression the Laws of Guyana are being broken, it more seems as though they are entitled to withhold these deductions because they are cash-strapped, and that they will get around to paying it sometime when they get the money. Can you believe that?

Why does the Commissioner- General of the GRA, the General Manager of the NIS and the Head of the Credit Union not take the Council to court for so palpably breaking the law?  Does this have anything to do with politics? Would they allow a private entity such laxity? Why doesn’t the Ministry of Social Protection come to the rescue of the municipal workers who have no benefits to obtain from the National Insurance Scheme when they become ill, no tax refunds or clearance from the GRA and no loans from the credit unions when needed?

How could a public institution so publicly and casually be allowed to break the laws of the land? Why are these errant administrators still at their desks? Is there no recourse for municipal workers other than to take strike action? Is there no recourse for the ratepayers of Georgetown? The senior administrators at City Hall are just square pegs in round holes and everyone knows it, but seems unwilling to rock the boat.

The perennial excuse that the Council is cash-strapped is a feeble and worn-
out one. Why not slash its ginormous wages bill in half? Instead, they are hiring more staff. Why not get rid of all of those contractors? Incidentally, they are hiring more contractors. Why don’t they stop flying around the world first class with large delegations to achieve nothing? No, they continue to fly even now, wanting to send a city soccer team to play some “scrubby” matches in China. How preposterous?
Instead of trying to seize state lands for personal fortification, instead of forging ahead with a parking meter scam that will never work, should they not have taken the windfall they got from the container tax and paid the GRA, the NIS and the credit unions? Will someone stand up and say enough is enough at City Hall? Will the incompetent “fat cats “ at City Hall who are living luxuriously off the backs of the citizens be removed and replaced with honest, capable and knowledgeable persons?  How long, oh Lord? Will you forget the citizens of Georgetown forever?
Best regards
Sambu Jacobus