UNDOUBTEDLY, it was a politically matured and timely decision by President Bharrat Jagdeo.
We are, of course, referring to the Head of State’s intervention on Friday to permit city vendors to resume plying their trade in the area of the Stabroek Market.
Reversal of the earlier decision should not be viewed as any ‘backing down’ by the government from its firm position to stamp out criminality in and around the Stabroek Market, and generate public confidence.
Rather, that law-abiding vendors, who largely, if not solely, depend on their trade for a livelihood are not made to suffer while the security forces intensify their anti-crime operations, and the relevant government ministries move with greater coordination to ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for vending and the public in general.
To judge from all reports, following the grenade explosion tragedy outside the Stabroek Market that claimed the life of one and injured about I9 others, some still patients at the Georgetown Hospital, a rapid response reaction to restore order included the dismantling of a number of stalls identified with illegal vending.
At the core of the agreement reached with the affected vendors, now openly expressing  appreciation for the President’s intervention, is that there must clearly be respect for a law and order environment as well as acceptable decent behaviour by all doing business in and around the Stabroek Market.
The President and three of his ministers were clearly in harmony in arriving at Friday’s agreement with the vendors — Ministers of Home Affairs (Clement Rohee); Local Government and Regional Development (Kellawan Lall) and Transport and Hydraulics (Robeson Benn).
As reported in our yesterday’s edition, criminality and illegal business activities in the Stabroek Market area have long been issues of concerns. The Ministry of Local Government and the City Council had succeeded in arriving at an agreement on regularising the operations of vending to ensure a law and order environment.
The government, as disclosed by President Jagdeo, is currently engaged in an expenditure of some US$I3 million on a major environmental clean-up campaign in the city, including the removal of dumps that have for far too long been painful eyesores, apart from the health hazards posed.
The immediate concern is that while the police wrap up their investigations into the grenade explosion tragedy, the spirit of cooperation involving the relevant ministries, the city council and, of course, the vendors, should become more evident and reassuring.
For now, the President and the vendors are quite happy over the outcome of that timely meeting on Friday. It was indeed a happy outcome with a triumph for reason.