WITH Lethem set for township status next year, focus will be placed on ensuring that businesses in the increasingly busy commercial district comply with government regulations and pay their dues.From all indications, the move to make the community a town will pave the way for more organised development there.
Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, told the Guyana Chronicle that the administration wants to see the imminent town become a well-managed municipality, where businesses grow and flourish. But, he said, this must not happen in a lawless environment, as businesses will have to comply with all statutory regulations.

Generally, Mr Gaskin said, compliance in Guyana has not been perfect; and in areas such as Lethem, lack of compliance is even more evident. “Some businesses would say that if they comply with all the regulations, it would be difficult to survive and they might very well pack up and go home,” he said.

The administration wants businesses to grow and develop, and would be taking a careful approach in ensuring they meet regulatory guidelines. “Once some of them cross a certain imaginary line, they go into total lawlessness. Everyone do what they like, and the strong survive and the vulnerable and the poor become helpless and defenceless. There is a lot of lawlessness going on, and it is does not augur well, unless we can encourage all businesses to have more regard for this country, pay their fair share of taxes and respect the institutions that regulate commerce,” he told this publication.

Lethem has, over the years, been developing into a vibrant commercial hub. Located in Region 9, Lethem is a vast area dotted with villages spread across the region. Minister Gaskin believes that with proper road linkages and easy access to Georgetown, commercial activities will go on an upward spiral.

Many villages in Region 9 engage in farming, and would, no doubt, produce more if they have easy access to markets for their produce.

Vital road link
“The road link definitely would allow them to expand their businesses, and at least operate more efficiently when it comes to getting their goods to market. That would be one of the immediate benefits of investing in the Georgetown-to-Lethem road. It would be a huge boost to business in Lethem and the Region 9 economy as a whole,” Gaskin told this publication.

Prominent businessman Stanley Ming is convinced that the road from Lethem to Port Georgetown, linking Guyana with Brazil, is necessary if Guyana is to become a trans-shipment port. He said
the project was requested by Brazil, and that Brazil really needs it because Manaus, a major Brazilian city, is home to some of the world’s major manufacturers, including Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercedes Benz, but is many miles away from the mouth of the Amazon River.

These companies which manufacture in Brazil and export a lot of their products to the rest of the world, have a challenge to get their goods from Manaus to the Atlantic Ocean.
With no direct road link, goods are transported through the Amazon River by barge in a journey that takes nine days, Ming had said.

He said Brazil has, understandably for decades, been proposing to Guyana to build the roadway to an Atlantic port in Guyana, be it Georgetown, Essequibo or Berbice, whichever is more suitable. This, he said, will enable Brazil’s products to reach the Atlantic Ocean from Manaus in 24 hours, as against nine days.

The road would save Guyana’s southern neighbour eight days of financial charges, a significant reduction by any means.

There is currently a lot of movement of people between Lethem and Bon Fim, and any development in the Region 9 community that would increase human traffic and interaction would create a spike in business in the region.

According to Minister Gaskin, Lethem is on the road to greater development, and it would not happen in a hodge-podge manner, but would be organised.

By Tajeram Mohabir