VERY few, if any, can forget the big heaps of garbage strewn around the city, the non-collection and tardy services that tarnished the image of a once pristine capital and posed public health threats to the denizens and visitors. When City Hall set about, in a determined way, from May 2015, removing the public health and aesthetics scourge, citizens breathed a sigh of relief, and longed for the return of the Garden City. To say that Georgetown has some way to go to reclaim this image is factual, but by allowing garbage to reclaim the city will make this aspiration harder to achieve.

Last week the Mayor and City Council, by letter dated 4th August 2017 and signed by Town Clerk Royston Clerk, advised its garbage contractors -Cevons Waste Management and Puran Brothers Disposal Inc.- that their services have been terminated. The Town Clerk’s letter came subsequent to the contractors advising of their intent to strike from 6th August due to the non-payment of over $300 million, dating back to 2015. To the ordinary man this situation reeks, given the expectation to provide a service though not being paid for two years; and how could such expectation ignore the providers’ own financial obligations.
Solid Waste Management Director, Walter Narine, has since assured denizens that the Council will take care of garbage pickup, utilising three small contractors and outlined the areas and times targeted for collection. How Council expects these contractors to adequately collect and dispose garbage in a city the size of Georgetown, particularly in the business centre and densely populated wards, could be anyone’s guess. But apart from the health, sanitation and environmental solid waste management poses the issue of paying for service cannot be ignored.

City Council has to be cognisant of the fact, by now, that it continues to give the impression some of its decisions are not being made cognisant of the reality on the ground and/or the mood of Guyanese. This is a Council, prior to the 2016 Local Government Elections, that had citizens’ compassion given the treatment it received from successive PPP/C Governments with non-refusal to pay the rates and taxes owed on government properties in the city, and one minister’s wish for a public health crisis. It was not lost on citizens the conflict between the Council and Central Government had to do with the PPP/C not having political control.

The present council is controlled by members of the governing APNU+AFC coalition. And whereas citizens appreciate central government allowing the local government authorities the needed autonomy to govern, when the council behave in less than acceptable manner it puts at risk the image and integrity of central government. The City’s Fathers and Mothers have to be equally concerned that non-payment to these contractors is not only a breach of faith but also hinders the contractors’ ability to meet their financial obligations. As City Hall will call on rate payers to honour their obligations that would allow Council to provide services, it too must be equally mindful the same expectation holds for it. The thinking aside by Council Members on what City Hall plans to do or could do, does not negate the obligation to honour its debt, which is the crux of the matter.

The contractors withdrew their services on 7th July and returned 12th July. It was believed, based on commitment by Councillor Oscar Clarke, City Hall would only address outstanding payments should they return to provide service, a story this newspaper covered in our 11th July edition. That this commitment has not been met, Council cannot hold its head high. It risks its action being deemed untrustworthy, and akin to pulling a fast one on the contractors. Acts like these have ricocheting impact. Rate payers could seize this as opportunity to ignore their obligations to the Council which would make it more difficult for the city to provide services.

There comes a time when civic duty calls, and it must be honoured, and this is one such instance. Should the non-payment not be handled adroitly it could make irreparable the image of the political parties and groups sitting on the Council. It is not too late for Council to address this situation even if it requires Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan’s intervention. There are too many problems, unnecessary dare it be said, happening in the Local Government Authorities which risk the chance of citizens losing faith in grassroots democracy, a chance any government can ill-afford. Georgetown is not only a town, it is the capital city, and the impression residents and visitors take away must be healthy and pleasing.