Same old same old at City Hall

THE government continues to make necessary interventions to help mitigate the impact of the floods in various parts of the country. The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and key ministries, including Agriculture, Public Works and Local Government and other agencies, are working tirelessly around-the-clock to not only provide some relief to affected residents, but to also assess the damage inflicted.

It continues to be a coordinated and collaborative effort by the stakeholders to confront these challenges. However, on one front, the Mayor & City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown to be precise, there appears to be a deliberate attempt to inconvenience residents. One night, not too long ago, President Dr. Irfaan Ali visited pump sites and sluices in the City and its environs and found that many, if not all, were turned off and closed respectively when they should have been in operation.

Subsequent to that, the Minister of Agriculture conducted a similar visit, and his findings were no different. He alluded to what he believed to be acts of sabotage on the part of the M&CC. Just this week, garbage was seen piling up in various parts of the City. Given the impact of clogged drains and canals, and the potential the garbage pileup can have to heighten flooding, it is therefore unfathomable that such will be allowed to occur during this period of heavy rainfall.

This week, the Minister of Local Government pointed to negligence, and stated his belief that little is being done by the leadership of the M&CC to develop the City, due to politicization, and taking advantage of the Opposition’s control of City Hall. Given what was most recently discovered, it becomes extremely difficult to indeed not conclude that there may be a deliberate effort by the M&CC to be negligent and politicise the situation.

Many are of the view that by doing so, the intention is to embarrass the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government in the perceived context that it has neglected the Capital City, especially since it does not have political control of City Hall. Nothing could be further from the truth, and what is irrefutable is that the Opposition APNU+AFC has political control of the M&CC.

It goes without saying that their supporters are in the majority, therefore any act of sabotage or negligence by City Hall, even those premised on political spite, will affect all residents, moreso their own. The obvious question is: Why inflict suffering, even on your own, for political purposes? Experts could use the point of ingrained characteristics on the part of the current Opposition in trying to justify the actions in question.

Sadly, negligence and mismanagement appear intrinsic to the City Hall. Under its leadership, the City has been flooded even when it shouldn’t, and with additional mechanism to alleviate the situation in place. Garbage pileup seems an integral facet of its operation, or lack thereof. Citizens, regardless of political affiliation, continue to lament the M&CC’s inability to develop the City, and its continual inefficient approach to deliver vital services.

Any doubt may have been dispelled through recent reports on the Mayor refusing to take any blame for the poor management of the City’s pumps and sluices, while stating that it is not his job to monitor employees. That in itself explains not only how the government feels about City Hall, but the citizenry as a whole.

While, from such reports, one may be led to believe a not so subtle abdication of responsibility on the part of the Mayor, it may be more reflective of what seems to be a calculative approach, where he is more concerned about facilitating the desires of his political masters.

That seems more in keeping with reality, especially since in the past, the magnitude of mismanagement at the M&CC led to staff not being paid on numerous occasions, which, in itself, led to the PPP/C government having to intervene to lessen the impact. Clearly, nothing has changed at City Hall over the years, even the blame game from the bowels of its seat of power.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.