THE City of Georgetown in the 19th century and in the first five decades of the 20th century had the enviable reputation on being the “Garden City” of the West Indies. It was one of the few completely wooden cities in the world, since there were no brick buildings and it was spotlessly clean, well-drained and all the amenities were available. Then from the 1960s, the City began to decline in a rising crescendo and by 2000 the quality of life had declined beyond recognition. Le Repentir Cemetery is a microcosm of this decline, where from once being maintained like a well-kept park with various eras of funerary architecture, it became a jungle with tombs being vandalised and vagrants living in the tombs and oftentimes attacking mourners.

At this present juncture, the city has an opportunity of ushering in an era of renewal and rebirth. There is a new Mayor and City Councillors who were elected at the recent Local Government Elections (LGEs) and they seem to be accepting their responsibilities with enthusiasm and intelligence. This was gleaned when the new mayor and councillors, held their inaugural statutory meeting and were addressed by the Minister of Communities Hon. Ronald Bulkan. Mr Bulkan, in his speech, in effect, laid out a programme for the council. But before Mr Bulkan’s address, the council had the benefit of the Kennard Report.

Government had appointed a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) under the chairmanship of Justice Cecil Kennard. Justice Kennard took evidence at all levels and his findings were not only revealing but in effect provided an agenda for the present City Hall. The report shows the weaknesses of the various sectors of the City Council and in particular its administration. The report made suggestions on how matters could be corrected and bettered. One notable area which caught the serious attention of the public was the vestiges of corruption which so negatively affected the council’s administration. The report named a number of officials who should be disciplined. Among these, were those who were responsible for causing the business community, millions of dollars in losses. We recall two such cases: Churches, the fast-food chain of restaurants had completed all arrangements to establish a branch in Stabroek Square. In this process, they had expended over $30 million and merely had to have City Hall’s final permission before opening the branch. The City Hall never granted permission over several years and the company had to abandon establishing the new restaurant. Similarly, the old Booker zinc bond in Water Street was to have been transformed into a fine architecturally designed and constructed multi-story building, which would have beautified and immeasurably improved downtown Georgetown. But though the owners had satisfied all criteria, the City Hall kept withholding their permission for the project to be finalised.

When Minister Bulkan delivered his address at the inaugural meeting of the new City Council on Monday, 14th January, he further widened the parameters of Justice Kennard’s report. Likewise, the Local Government Commission had started to effectuate the report within their remit and had summoned several of the allegedly culpable officers. The public is critically looking on, confident that the LGE would be able to do their work without fear or favour.

Minister Bulkan’s address was wide-ranging and did cover the main challenges of City Hall, but the problems are so multifarious that it was impossible for him to cover all of them. Among the two main omissions, probably because they are so obvious, was the renewal of the Town Hall building and the complete revival of the Le Repentir Cemetery.

He began by reminding the new council, that three years ago President Granger had addressed the then council and among his valuable suggestions was the establishment of a National Capital Planning Commission to assist the council. The present council could take up the challenge. Such a commission would be able to ensure long-term planning and bring more focus to the city government.

He touched on corruption and transparency and pointed out that that it is a very few people who bring the council into disrepute, and not the overwhelming majority of the workforce. In meeting this problem, he suggested integrating into the financial and administrative sectors a series of checks and balances. He also reminded that the public does not wish to be told of achievements; more importantly, they want to know the cost and expenditure for such achievements. He also offered to use the audit department of his ministry to do annual audits of the council’s accounts.

He enjoined the council to cultivate good relations with the business community and to promote dialogue between the council and the Private Sector. They should create an investment-friendly climate and should, for example, take steps to reduce unnecessary delays in the issuance of building permits. He also mentioned some of the continuous problems which have to be confronted such as illegal vending and its proliferation, drainage, security, solid waste management, squatting on municipal reserves and zoning.
The Council of 2019, using the findings of the Kennard Inquiry and those of past reports, such as the Burrowes Report and the Justice Prem Persaud Report and the minister’s guidance, would be able to develop a programme which could begin the process of restoring Georgetown to its former glory.