Dear Editor,

HOW many times more must the clueless Town Clerk, the Mayor of Georgetown, and the City Council be allowed to fail before the Government realizes that these failures reflect against them and say enough, and put a stopping to the destruction of the capital of Guyana?The most recent flop is the purported ‘pilot flea market project’ which was set up by the city administration to allow persons selling back-to-school items to vend on Regent Street between Cummings and Alexander streets; but it was a colossal failure which neither vendors nor shoppers supported.

How could they be so ill-advised as to believe that vendors, who are now unionized and who have been ill-treated by the Council for so long, would just jump at the first opportunity given by the Council to sell? Do they understand the difference between flea market vending and street vending?

The first thing the Council’s administration has to understand is that there is need for consultation with the citizens of Georgetown, whether it is the vendors, business persons, home owners or visitors.

There is need for discussion and consensus on everything that affects our people. They can’t just dream up some half-baked idea and then jump to implement it unilaterally.

Why do they have a Public Relations Department; just to write letters and send out erroneous press releases? The practice of Public Relations is a two-way street.

Clearly, the Mayor and Town Clerk — who have been travelling the world rather than using their initiative to come up with unique ideas that can be applied to Guyana — chose to plagiarize wholesale the American concept of a flea market.

This flea market idea — and worse yet, on a Sunday — shows how disconnected the Council is from the citizenry.

Sincerely,
JAMES MCONNELL