Did ‘Hammy’ and Co. ever heed President Jagdeo’s offer of more funding
–if M&CC initiated special projects in South Georgetown wards

OLD Kai has given the ‘usual suspects’ enough time to spread their misinformation against the PPP/C Government whom they constantly attempt to portray as being unconcerned and uncaring towards certain wards in Capital City which have traditionally been strongholds of the opposition. Because of the ethnic makeup of some of these communities they have also attempted to portray it as discrimination and attempts by the Government to undermine one particular race.This argument is nonsensical and those who peddle it are either devious with no qualms in subverting the truth or ignorant of what has transpired over the years.
Old Kai will now destroy this myth with another explosive revelation, which shows that the efforts of Central Government to develop these areas working through and not over the M&CC were deliberately frustrated.
Presently, we are bombarded with accusations by current Mayor Hamilton Green, and his allies in the Opposition that the PPP/C Government has consistently sought to undermine the council by bypassing it when implementing projects, one such example is the current clean up exercise. They have used this argument to escape blame for the current state of the Capital City.
However, the evidence proves otherwise. In June 2001, President Bharrat Jagdeo while addressing a function in South Georgetown which also saw the attendance of Mayor Hamilton Green and which was published in the Stabroek News, the Head of State had challenged the Council and Mayor Green to “utilize a substantial portion of the $470 million in planned subventions from Central Government to initiate special projects for youths in the South Georgetown Ward.”
But it did not end there as the PPP/C Government provided an even greater incentive to encourage the M&CC to invest in these South Georgetown areas as the President was quoted as saying, “I will commit more and more funds if you do so” while he also reiterated the need for social facilities in the South Ruimveldt community.
So there you have it, the Government did not seek to dominate or work outside of the council to invest in these areas to enhance their political fortunes, rather it was encouraging the Mayor and Council to do so and in return they will be provided with more and more resources, providing they demonstrated their commitment to develop these areas.
This is the reality which the opposition will not want those communities to hear or read; this is the level of sincerity of the PPP/C Government to develop areas not only in communities sympathetic to it but communities all across Guyana.
The pressing question now is what did the Mayor and Opposition dominated Council do after this challenge from President Jagdeo? The mere fact that these very people are today going around in the South Georgetown areas and crying that the PPP/C Government has starved these areas of investments indicates they did almost nothing.
So what did they do with the hundreds of millions and other resources provided by Central Government over the years? Where were all these resources channeled to? When the Government called for more transparency and accountability from the M&CC in the use of these funds, it was attacked for trying to control the Municipality.
Then the Government was also attacked for not providing more and more funds to the M&CC. Which Government will continue to provide funds carte blanche to a Council, when there is no evidence of the intended investments and no effort at accountability?
It is this reality which saw the Government taking on the responsibility for doing road and drainage works, among other initiatives in Georgetown and in return it was attacked for not channeling these resources through the Council.
Clearly, whatever the PPP/C Government does it will always be vilified by the opposition. Old Kai hopes that citizens will look at the facts; look at these revelations and then ask themselves why did the Opposition not jump at the proposal by the Government for the M&CC to begin investing in their communities after which more and more funds would have been made available.
They will then obviously question the sincerity of the opposition, especially all those grand promises now being made by the APNU, Mayor Green and Mr. David Granger, when considering that they (the Opposition) had the opportunity to realize all their initiatives with funding from Government but for some reason never invested these resources in the communities they now run to for support.