— already famous for his clean-up projects
WIDELY recognized for his community clean-up and beautification projects, Medal of Service awardee Don Gomes wants to throw his hat into the mayoral race. In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Gomes vowed that, if elected mayor, he would dedicate his life to motivating everyone to make some contribution for the betterment of the Georgetown. But even while waiting, Gomes continues to work assiduously to improve his surroundings: Fixing bridges and lamps, and cleaning gutters are just a few projects on his itinerary.

Passionate fixer
The first project he would undertake would be to fix the metal bridge at Alexander and Croal Streets, which vandals have damaged so that a portion lies in the canal that flows below.
Always involved in a clean-up project of some sort, Gomes would be hard pressed to find a piece of clothing without paint. And even as we were having a meal at a popular eatery while he was neatly dressed in a crisp, white, long-sleeved shirt, he was able to point out the little flecks of paint on his pants legs.
In the past, Gomes has cleaned the seawalls, cut bushes, pruned trees, put up lamps, and done much more on a voluntary basis for the city than he cares to remember.
At one time, Gomes had put into service four trolleys and 12 plastic bins to clean up his block. He was invited by both the Ministries of Health and Housing to participate in their clean-up campaigns, and he noted that permanent secretaries from both ministries have been very supportive of his efforts.
For him, cleaning up is a matter of personal aesthetics. He stressed that we must hand down to the younger generation some sense of pride in their general surroundings. His desire is to make the younger generation feel proud of their country, because he is well aware that in this age of technology, persons are more than ever able to see nice looking places on the Internet, and would wonder why home can’t look the same.

Archaic equipment
Gomes stated that Georgetown has 26 major pumps, but those pumps are archaic. He explained that the one behind Brickdam Police Station is not working, so the police have to hire a private waste management company to suck out the sewage.
Money to fix the pump had already been promised in a United Nations report, he noted, adding that Parliamentarians need to lobby for that money to fix Georgetown. We are in a quagmire where, on both sides, energies are locked into being politically correct.
It is his fear that Guyanese might end up like Japanese tsunami victims. “We are six feet below sea level, we are in a precarious position; if something of that magnitude hits us, we would be wiped out.”

Age of consequences
In reference to ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, a 2006 documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States’ Vice President Al Gore’s campaign to educate citizens about global warming, Gomes noted that Guyanese are living in an “age of consequences”. His recommendation is that the country’s disaster response be fine-tuned.
He said he wanted to see crafted disaster plans wherein everyone knows the role they must play. “We must be prepared; things will not stop because we want them to.”
The optician believes City Hall needs to be revamped. He thinks that were he to become the mayor, he could be the catalyst for change, rather than continuing the same old fight.
Noting the importance of treating Guyanese workers properly, Gomes, who has a great sense of humour, alluded to a story of a cat who wandered in to his residence. He started feeding the cat, the cat began hanging around, and it cleaned up all the vermin in the place.

Pet passions
Apart from his passion for cleaning up, Gomes is very passionate about the maintenance of Guyana’s historical sites.  A history buff, he has gone the extra mile to seek out some of these places and see that they are being maintained. As a case in point, he took a strong interest in the late prominent Guyanese Historian Dr. Walter Rodney’s resting place.
Another passion of his is Mashramani, a venture he has been consistently involved in for a decade and a half. Interestingly, Gomes has, in the past, combined his love of a clean environment with Mashramani, like he did with ‘Betsy the Mosquito’.
For Mashramani 2011, Gomes made “Mosquito like suck your blood” his theme, and his float featured “Betsy”, a large mosquito with a proboscis dipped in red paint, representing blood. It was an excellent opportunity to talk about the garbage, clogged drains, stagnant water, and empty receptacles in yards.
This year, he chose to highlight the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II, portraying the royalty with a decadently dressed young lady on a float, which was a big hit.

Desired change
The change Gomes wants to see is that citizens must be friends and tackle problems together. “We must agree to disagree,” he iterated.

Don Gomes’s Profile
Birth date: September 28, 1957 (54 years old)
Birth place:  Georgetown
Marital status: Married (Father of five)
Profession: Optician
Education: Central High School (Georgetown), Ottawa University, Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology (Canada)
Interests: Community service, music, reading and research, writing, and history.