M&CC ‘working against’ the government

COUNCILLOR Gregory Fraser on Monday charged that the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is working against the government regarding the treatment that is being meted out to vendors in the city.

Fraser took umbrage at the manner in which vendors outside of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were removed recently, although Town Clerk, Royston King, maintained that the vendors were blocking the entrance and exit of the said agency.

King also claimed that the vendors were warned beforehand that they needed to remove from the Camp Street location. But Fraser was not convinced.  “These people could not have been spoken to. What is this new thought of moving them?

This Council is making me feel bad each day. We are working against my government in many areas; we can’t be victimising people,” Fraser said, adding that the M&CC has been “tormenting” these vendors for years.

It is not clear whether Councillor Fraser actually told the Town Clerk to “Shut up!” or whether he told Councillor Ivelaw Henry, who was chairing the meeting, that the Town Clerk ought to shut up until he was finished speaking.

But the Town Clerk told Fraser he had no authority to tell him, or any other officer, when they could speak, and that he should know his place.  Councillor Khame Sharma offered that King should not have been speaking at the same time as Fraser, and could have instead done so on a point of order.

Councillor Bishram Kuppen referred to the fact that the vendors have been there for quite some time, and have been paying fees to the M&CC. He said these individuals likely depend on their little trade for their livelihoods, and that he, too, was not pleased with the way the stalls were removed.

Kuppen said a special meeting should have been convened with those vendors before they were removed. He suggested that the City Council look at moving those gamblers in the Stabroek Market Square to free-up space for the vendors to be relocated.

But King’s response was that the gamblers cannot be moved just yet, because the City Constabulary is understaffed. He suggested that the situation be corrected shortly with joint efforts by the Municipality and the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

King also pointed out that councillors should submit properly formulated policies to guide the administration. Councillor James Samuels said that had the M&CC been organised, a place for relocation would have long been found for the vendors.

“It’s 15 months now and we are still looking. Where are we going?”  Councillor Noelle Chow-Chee proposed that the Markets and Public Health Committee should be given a timeline to work with coming up with a proposal, while Councillor Heston Bostwick noted that even if the vendors had been spoken to in advance, he had not been invited to those consultations.