AS the national clean-up campaign spearheaded by President Irfaan Ali got underway for the second year, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, has called on Guyanese to play their part in consistently keeping the country clean.

The minister spearheaded efforts at the Savage Street leg of the nationwide cleanup exercise on Saturday morning.

“The fact is that we need to take responsibility and ensure that we demonstrate leadership on this issue as a government, making sure that we could work with civil society and the other levels of government—NDCs, RDCs, City Councils and Town Councils etc., to work towards ridding the various places around us of garbage, and therefore being able to keep our environment clean, and in a much better condition,” Minister McCoy told the Department of Public Information (DPI).

He noted that even as tourists and investors flock to Guyana for its tremendous opportunities, Guyanese need to be more vigilant in taking care of their surroundings for their health and safety.
“We have to be able to address the issue of garbage in very many ways. But this is one of the ways that we believe would help to spread awareness and the consciousness of us really working to clean up our respective communities because it is just the best thing to do,” he stressed.

The minister urged Guyanese to practise proper waste management in the best interest of their environment. He commended Director of Solid Waste Management, Walter Narine, for his participation in the exercise.

“That is the way it should be because to be able to move this country to the level we all desire would require each and every one of us working together, hand in hand, mission on mission. Co-operating, and making sure that we have the energies pooled towards one national desire, and that is to develop our country and make it a better place. Whether it’s in the city, Essequibo or Berbice, we are all working towards one purpose, and that is building Guyana,” he expressed.

The national cleanup exercise has seen participation from a number of stakeholders and citizens across the country. (DPI)