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MOST people would agree that the way our capital city is managed leaves much to be desired. There are piles and piles of garbage to be seen at every turn, not to mention overgrown vegetation in our trenches and canals, clogged up drains and dilapidated buildings which all conspire to create a depressing scenario. Georgetown, once regarded as a ‘Garden City’, is now reduced to what some people referred to as a ‘Garbage City’. With all its shortcomings, Georgetown is still a beautiful place. Those of us who had the opportunity to view the city from above can testify to the beauty of the city, its well organized network of roads and streets, and the amazing mix of architecture reflecting the vagaries of our colonial past. This blend of Victorian, Dutch and local architecture is quite a wonder to behold and gives our city a sense of uniqueness which we should all be proud of.
Sadly, our city has deteriorated over the years and has lost its former glory. There is need for a concerted effort to rescue the city. As a first step, there must be an awareness by all that the City needs help and that every individual who resides or do business in the environs of the City should see it as a duty and responsibility to make the city a cleaner and more environmentally friendly.
The Mayor and City Council has statutory responsibility for the day to day management of the City subject to policy directives from the Local Government Ministry. The general perception is that the City is not effectively managed and that much more could have been achieved if there were better organization and planning by the relevant bodies.
There are also governance issues which is made even worse by the absence of Local Government elections which were not held for close to two decades. The Mayor of Georgetown has probably made municipal history by being the longest serving mayor in the city of Georgetown if not beyond, having been there since 1994 when Local Government elections were last held.
Georgetown is not just our capital city. It is also the seat of Government and where all of our foreign embassies and international agencies are located. It is the commercial and business centre of Guyana where tens of thousands of people interface and interact on a daily basis. It is a major tourist attraction and the first point of contact for foreigners who visit especially for the first time. One of the first impressions that foreigners have is the cleanliness of the capital city. It leaves a lasting impression on them.
This is why all governments and municipal authorities all over the world practically go out of their way to ensure that their cities are kept clean and tidy.
Singapore is one such country where cleanliness and environmental health is taken very seriously. One of the first things that struck me during a visit to that country some years ago was the cleanliness of the city and the emphasis placed on enhancing the city with well kept lawns, beautiful parks and gardens and the overall greenery of the entire city. I later learnt that the country has one of the most severe littering and pilfering laws in the world. Anyone caught littering or defacing public buildings could be flogged on conviction. There was the case of an American student who was caught some years ago and was ordered to be flogged. Despite appeals from the President of the United States and other high profile leaders for a stay on the punishment, the authorities went ahead with the decision. Singapore is perhaps the only country in the world where chewing gums are banned in an attempt to safeguard public buildings from possible defacement.
There is, I believe, a case for tougher laws to prevent littering and garbage disposal. The existing legislation is, in my view, inadequate and for the most part not being rigorously enforced. The same is true for people who fail to live up to their own responsibilities to keep their surroundings clean and are wholly dependent on the government or local government bodies to do for them what they should be doing as part of their individual and civic duty.
There is need to review the current laws and regulations to address the issue of absentee property owners who leave their premises and surroundings unkempt. These are serious health hazards and provide safe havens for criminals.
In short, we need a culture change especially on how we treat and relate to the environment in which we live. All of us like to see a clean and well-kept environment but too many of us are not contributing to the creation of such an environment. The creation and maintenance of such an environment requires a new attitude which ideally should commence at the nursery level and reinforced at the home.
Sadly, our city has deteriorated over the years and has lost its former glory. There is need for a concerted effort to rescue the city. As a first step, there must be an awareness by all that the City needs help and that every individual who resides or do business in the environs of the City should see it as a duty and responsibility to make the city a cleaner and more environmentally friendly.
The Mayor and City Council has statutory responsibility for the day to day management of the City subject to policy directives from the Local Government Ministry. The general perception is that the City is not effectively managed and that much more could have been achieved if there were better organization and planning by the relevant bodies.
There are also governance issues which is made even worse by the absence of Local Government elections which were not held for close to two decades. The Mayor of Georgetown has probably made municipal history by being the longest serving mayor in the city of Georgetown if not beyond, having been there since 1994 when Local Government elections were last held.
Georgetown is not just our capital city. It is also the seat of Government and where all of our foreign embassies and international agencies are located. It is the commercial and business centre of Guyana where tens of thousands of people interface and interact on a daily basis. It is a major tourist attraction and the first point of contact for foreigners who visit especially for the first time. One of the first impressions that foreigners have is the cleanliness of the capital city. It leaves a lasting impression on them.
This is why all governments and municipal authorities all over the world practically go out of their way to ensure that their cities are kept clean and tidy.
Singapore is one such country where cleanliness and environmental health is taken very seriously. One of the first things that struck me during a visit to that country some years ago was the cleanliness of the city and the emphasis placed on enhancing the city with well kept lawns, beautiful parks and gardens and the overall greenery of the entire city. I later learnt that the country has one of the most severe littering and pilfering laws in the world. Anyone caught littering or defacing public buildings could be flogged on conviction. There was the case of an American student who was caught some years ago and was ordered to be flogged. Despite appeals from the President of the United States and other high profile leaders for a stay on the punishment, the authorities went ahead with the decision. Singapore is perhaps the only country in the world where chewing gums are banned in an attempt to safeguard public buildings from possible defacement.
There is, I believe, a case for tougher laws to prevent littering and garbage disposal. The existing legislation is, in my view, inadequate and for the most part not being rigorously enforced. The same is true for people who fail to live up to their own responsibilities to keep their surroundings clean and are wholly dependent on the government or local government bodies to do for them what they should be doing as part of their individual and civic duty.
There is need to review the current laws and regulations to address the issue of absentee property owners who leave their premises and surroundings unkempt. These are serious health hazards and provide safe havens for criminals.
In short, we need a culture change especially on how we treat and relate to the environment in which we live. All of us like to see a clean and well-kept environment but too many of us are not contributing to the creation of such an environment. The creation and maintenance of such an environment requires a new attitude which ideally should commence at the nursery level and reinforced at the home.
*** PULL QUOTE:
‘Singapore has one of the most severe littering and pilfering laws in the world. Anyone caught littering or defacing public buildings could be flogged on conviction….Also, Singapore is perhaps the only country in the world where chewing gums are banned in an attempt to safeguard public buildings from possible defacement.’
** PULL QUOTE:
‘With all its shortcomings, Georgetown is still a beautiful place’
