PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar, on Sunday, called on Guyanese to make a greater contribution to the improvements in the country.

Addressing the crowd gathered at the National Park, in Georgetown that night for the 48th Independence Anniversary celebrations, he said: “Too often we hear about the litter and untidiness of our surroundings. Here each of us can play a part in leading by example, to make a personal contribution to the appearance of our living and working environment.”
According to the Head of State, there is much to do to further enhance the quality of life in Guyana and each citizen of the nation must seek to work in greater cooperation and unity towards this goal.
“We still have a lot to do,” he remarked.
The state of the environment was the focus of a $1B allocation in this year’s National Budget, earmarked for a countrywide clean-up campaign, with $500M to address the needs of Georgetown.
Government, through the $1B initiative, is expected to spearhead an effort that will result in the capital city, all other towns and rural villages implementing a ‘Clean Up My Community’ action plan that will address the collection and removal of garbage as well as the reporting of residents who, irresponsibly, dispose of their garbage.
Properly discarded
Citizens, businesses and institutions will be tasked with ensuring that their waste is properly discarded in appropriate receptacles. Efforts will be made to enlist the support of the private sector and other institutions to assume greater involvement in helping to maintain the environment in which they operate.
Frontbencher of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Mr. Ronald Bulkan, in April, decried the allocation of $500M to undertake a clean-up of the capital city and charged that the campaign is an elections drive.
However, he was flayed by Government Members of Parliament (MPs), as the initial motion to restore Georgetown to its former beauty was Opposition-sponsored in its passage through the National Assembly last year.
During that debate, APNU MP, Ms. Volda Lawrence, who had initiated it, noted that, despite the many interventions to keep the city clean, it is not in the condition it ought to be, as she made reference to the piles of garbage on the pavements outside the Public Buildings.
Local Government Minister, Mr. Norman Whittaker has, since, noted that, while the provision is welcomed, the measure did not take into account the lack of responsibility on the part of the agency overlooking the management of the capital, the Mayor and City Council.

(By Vanessa Narine)