–Says Kaieteur News ‘lacks journalistic integrity’

TOWN Clerk Royston King has said that he is in the process of penning a letter to the Kaieteur News in response to articles the newspaper published recently that lacked “journalistic integrity”.

In the articles at reference, the newspaper slammed the municipality for spending large sums of money for the rental of portable toilets, when, in fact, it can expend the same sums on the purchase of new, stationary ones.

But King, at Monday’s statutory meeting, is contending that purchasing new toilets is one matter, while maintaining them is another. “I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. You can’t just put a toilet down; it has to be cleaned and maintained.

“Purchasing a toilet is one thing, but there are other costs associated with maintaining that facility, and that cost will be far more substantial than renting the toilets,” King said.

As for building new toilets at the various locations, King said the Council will have to take into account a number of things, like space and ownership.

“These public facilities should be seen connected to the dignity, pride and personal health of our workers. The toilets are not provided for fashion, but because they have a function,” King said, adding that if people are protecting the assets of Council, they must be provided with these facilities.

Failing to do so, he said, could result in the workers resorting to using the drains, and molesting their neighbours to use their private facilities. “This is completely unacceptable,” he said.

Mayor Patricia Chase-Green offered that the Council must decide if a toilet must be built at King’s residence. “I am surprised!” she said, adding:
“But the former Town Clerk would have taken Council’s money, without its approval, and built toilet and every single thing at her residence without this Council’s approval.”

Chase-Green said that based on a report she received from the Solid Waste Management Department, only four portable toilets to date have been paid for. The four are stationed at the Merriman Mall, Kitty Market and at King’s residence.

“We have to find out if we can renegotiate the costs. Is somebody taking advantage of the Council? I don’t know,” she said.

Deputy Mayor, Lionel Jaikarran, recalled that in the past, he did query the usefulness of spending money each month for the rental of portable toilets, and if it did not make more sense to build toilets instead.

Jaikarran suggested that the municipality inquire about better deals that could be obtained in terms of costs.

Councillor James Samuels referred to the size of the toilets on airplanes, and suggested that they can even be built on top of a septic tank. “Why are we paying $82,000 a month, when we can build a facility that will last for years?” he asked.