Throwing taxpayers’ money at the City Council is like throwing raw meat at a ravenous lion

Dear Editor,

I HAVE followed in the press with considerable interest and gratification, the very supporting role that central government through the Ministry of Local Government has been playing to help the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown to stay afloat. After all, Georgetown is our capital and it houses the embassies, major businesses, government offices, etc. And with major transformation expected soon through oil and gas and the impending big projects on the horizon, there will be a greater need for strengthened collaboration between central government and the M&CC.I have observed with delight the presentation of a $30 million subvention recently in aid of the completion of construction of their new administrative building in the City Hall compound. This is in addition to $75 million initially presented to the M&CC for the first phase of construction on the four-storey building. Beyond that our Head-of-State has committed to an advance payment of taxes to City Hall to the tune of $100M, in an effort to assist the always cash-strapped Mayor& City Council (M&CC) to offset its expenses and commence the rehabilitation of the dilapidated City Hall building. This shows that the government is committed to ensuring that the city is transformed. However, as they say, ‘A word to the wise is sufficient’ and so I would just like to caution about the history of ingloriousness of the Georgetown municipality since Guyana got its independence.

Throwing taxpayers’ money at the City Council is like throwing raw meat at a ravenous lion. It will be quickly consumed and they will be immediately hungry again. They just simply cannot continue to plough money into the Council without accountability. The Council has for decades ignored the laws governing the city, which requires the Council to prepare accounts yearly and submit these for auditing no later than four months after the end of the year. How could the Georgetown City Council earn over $12B in four years, but still be cash-strapped? There needs to be a forensic audit done of the Council before any more money is doled out to them. Additionally, duplicity, dishonesty and misconduct must be weeded out before trust can be restored. Persons in positions of influence must not be allowed to derive personal benefits from actions or decisions made in their official capacity or on their behalf. A clear example of this is where councillors are being allowed to rent their trucks to the very Council on which they sit for inflated sums. A clear conflict of interest. And they must not be allowed to waste the rates earned from property owners on worthless and profligate projects such as the Presidential Park on Church Street. There are too many urgent needs within the city that need to be addressed.

Yours sincerely,

Jermain Johnson

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