Dear Editor
This letter is response to an article in the Monday September 21 2015; edition of the Guyana Times captioned “Government refuses to audit City Council”The article is riddled with inaccuracies and is more a piece of political propaganda rather than an item that is news worthy. Further, the article is malicious, deceptive and a calculated attempt to attack the current work of the Council to promote the clean green city initiative. The Council wants to categorically state that its administration under the leadership of Town Clerk, Royston King has absolutely nothing to hide. Currently, the Council has resuscitated and peopled its Internal Audit Department, which was defunct for several years. The Department is currently engaged in Operational and Human Resources audits and will continue to be engaged in other forms of audits to ensure accountability and transparency in the operations of Council.
The human resources audit reviews the current human resources policies, procedures, rules and systems to identify needs for improving and enhancing human resource functions of the Council, whilst the operational audit evaluates the operational activities of the Council. The Council would make the results of all its audits public. The Council understands the need for proper accountability of state resources. However, the Council finds it strange that the Guyana Times would, at this juncture seek to write about certain acts of perceived improprieties. Since a very good opportunity was presented for them to do so when a clarion call was made by the Deputy Mayor of Georgetown Councillor Patricia Chase Green and was supported by the duly elected Council for an audit to be done, when 27 million dollars was waived for the former proprietor of Strand Cinema Mr. Ganga Prasad, by the previous acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba.
Also, the office of the Auditor General was called in to investigate the (500.000) five hundred thousand dollars luxury sofa and other monies spent on other equipment that did not promote the work of the Georgetown Municipality, this newspapers was obviously silent on these matters. Also, we are still hoping that the Auditor General can still investigate these issues. The real issue, at hand and one that requires an audit, is the spending of the (500,000,000) five hundred million dollars that was handed over to the Ministry of Local Government under the watch of then Minister Mr Norman Whittaker, for cleaning of Georgetown under the clean up my country project and for which there is not much credible evidence of works done in the City. Currently citizens are working to clean up their neighbourhood, as a matter of pride, without pay. Thanks to all our citizens, who understand what we are trying to do.
The citizens of this County must know that the Georgetown City Council did not receive one cent from the five hundred million and the Council was totally locked out of all activities relating to spending of that allocation by the then Government. As it relates to the employees in the drainage section, someone was misinformed. Our records show that the Council has seventy -five persons employed in the drainage section. They were unable to conduct work efficiently because of an acute lack of resources, which has been corrected by the new administration.
The truth is the previous regime made a deliberately effort to starve Council of much needed resources in many ways. The valuation process was stymied thus making it difficult for Council to increase rates for seventeen years. Also, whenever the government subvention was given it came with specific instructions as to how it should be spent. The state of the drainage system in the City is complex which should be addressed holistically. The City’s drainage system is design to cater for 1.5 inches of rain fall within 24 hours period, any unusual down pour beyond the1.5 inches capacity would result in overtopping in several areas.
The drainage system has experienced neglect and abuse in several ways. Drainage in the City has been compromised by the construction work of some very big Corporations either through lack of knowledge, unconcern or callousness and unfriendly environmental attitudes of some. The clean-up Georgetown that is ongoing has revealed some flagrant contraventions of the drainage system, which the City’s Administration intends to correct. However, we wish to thank the Guyana Times News Papers for showing such keen interest in the financial affairs of the City Council at this time when the Council is experiencing positive change in its operations and is pursuing, with much vigour, the restoration of Georgetown. The mission is to make Georgetown the cleanest and greenest City of the Caribbean; however, regardless of the challenges it would be accomplished.
Debra Lewis
Public Relations Officer (ag)