By Francis Quamina Farrier

The popular Guyanese patriotic song, “Let Us Cooperate for Guyana”, which was composed by Billy Pilgrim, is still as popular as when it was first composed some fifty years ago.

At that time in Guyana’s history, there was unprecedented nationalistic fever with Guyanese all across the newly independent nation of Guyana. It was a period when Guyanese composers worked feverishly in producing creative works such as songs, poems, plays, dances, paintings, pottery, jewellery – all with special Guyanese imagery.

Almost everyone seemed to have gone the extra mile in creating something which was uniquely Guyanese. There was, for example, The Guyana BOOM, a musical sound, if you will, developed by Thomas Charles of Victoria Village on the East Coast of Demerara. That Guyanese musical icon was the Leader of the very popular band of that era, “Tom Charles and the Syncopators”, which dominated the musical scene during the 1960s and 1970s.

That early Guyanese patriotic fervor seemed to have waned as the years went by, and Guyanese seemed much more interested in migrating to other countries, which for them, seemed to have had green pastures. With the change of government at the May 2015 general elections, and the arrival of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary in 2016, there came like a tsunami another surge of National Patriotism.

The Guyanese people were once again displaying their love of country. Many private buildings were embellished with buntings of the national colours, and the Golden Arrowhead – the National Flag of Guyana – was displayed as never happened in over four decades. The Jubilee Year Logo was also displayed almost everywhere, including on vehicles. Since January of this Jubilee Year, there is a group of about fifty volunteers – both Guyanese and Non-Guyanese- who give one hour a week of their time to clean-up the Georgetown seawalls. They are there every Tuesday from 5.00 to 6.00 p.m. and all are welcome to join them is such a patriotic exercise.

On the afternoon of Saturday May 16, 2015, just after his swearing-in as Guyana’s eight President, Brgd. David Arthur Granger, stood on the balcony of the Public Buildings in Georgetown, and invited the massive crowd in the fore court and on Brickdam, to join hands and sing that popular Billy Pilgrim patriotic song, “Let Us Cooperate for Guyana”. It was a moment in time which everyone who was there, will always remember.

During the following months, the new Coalition government commenced a massive clean-up campaign of the city of Georgetown. Many of the principal canals in the city which were silted-up and over-run with tall weeds and other vegetation, were cleaned. The massive mounds of garbage all across the city were also carted away and there was a breath of fresh air blowing across Guyana’s Capital City, the first in decades.

At this time, many of the streets in Georgetown which were in a horrible state of disrepair for many years, have already being resurfaced, and the citizens of the city of Georgetown are pleased. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure is continuing the all-round up-grading, and even as I am writing this feature, the works are on-going.

However, there is one street which is proving to be a bit of a challenge for the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to resurface; and that has nothing to do with the actual resurfacing. It has to do with the cooperation between City Hall and a group of vendors who ply their trade there.

I am talking about the two short blocks of Bourda Street from North Road to Regent Street, which have been in a horrible condition for many years. It is mainly used by pedestrians who do shopping from the vendors there.

Those two blocks of Bourda Street are just horrible, with many large and deep pot holes. Most of the traffic on that street is pedestrian – just about two percent is vehicular. Over the more recent years, there have been many injuries to pedestrians who use those two blocks of Bourda Street. Recently an elderly lady sprained her ankle while walking on that street, fell, and seriously injured her head. She had to be hospitalized.

In order to facilitate the resurfacing of that street, the vendors will have to be relocated for a few days, probably for over a week. And that’s where the virtue of COOPERATION will be badly needed. The City Hall will have to relocate the vendors in a professional way, and the vendors will have to accept that temporary relocation.

Will such cooperation be forthcoming? Will the Ministry of Public Infrastructure be given the opportunity to resurface those two blocks of Bourda Street before the Christmas holidays? Will the citizens of Georgetown who use that section of Bourda Street, have another thing to cheer the Ministry of Public Infrastructure for?

The two stakeholders – City Hall and the Vendors – can all start by probably holding hands, and together sing that Billy Pilgrim patriotic song, “Let Us Cooperate for Guyana”, as they happily relocate and let the heavy duty equipment of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure roll in and get the job done.

Minister of Public Infrastructure, Hon. David Patterson, M.P., and Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, are at present in discussion. With over 80% of the vendors willing to cooperate with City Hall, it is most likely that the two northern blocks of Bourda Street, will finally be resurfaced and looking brand new for the Christmas Holidays, Jubilee Year, 2016.