DESPITE the efforts of President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and his government to modernise, improve, and positively transform the Guyanese economy, they are also faced with the “shanty town mentality” of certain individuals.

During an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Bishop Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Works, was asked about the painted walls along the roads leading to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and to respond to an article on the “News Source Guyana” Facebook page.

The photos with caption in the News Source article, stated, “In what appears like an effort to block out the small shops near the airport from public view, the authorities have erected a massive Trump-like wall with walk-in openings to the shops. Sections of the wall have been painted in multiple colours. It’s not a good look… The same money used to erect the wall could have been used to beautify some of those same shops, and the authorities could have worked along with the shop owners/vendors on a singular uniformed look, rather than a big wall.”
In his response, Minister Edghill said, “This morning I saw an online source basically trying to criticise the government’s efforts at beautification and standardisation along the airport roads. There are two things that I would like to make clear; a shanty town outlook is not Guyanese culture, so anyone who wants to continue with that shanty town approach is not embracing the modernisation and transformation of Guyana. The second thing I want to make clear is that, whatever has been done at the airport in terms of the enhancement and beautification of the area, it was done in consultation with the persons who operate those small businesses there.”

Minister Edghill further stated that “all of the small-business owners were given paint and other supplies by the airport authorities to enhance their own infrastructure while the government puts the wall in place to create a façade that looks like something with uniformity and beauty and is befitting for a modern airport. With this commentary that is out there, I am guessing that it is coming from people who admire what is being done by the government, but they are admiring it awkwardly.”
The minister continued by saying that the Government of Guyana refuses to leave the country in a “shanty town approach,” where people are just free to build a shack on every corner or along the roadways and call it a business.

According to him, Guyana has the fastest-growing economy in the world, while President Ali is leading in ensuring that the country is better in every way and in every sector.
“You cannot leave everything in an uneven manner, where nothing is uniform and there is no improvement in the ambience of the country,” explained Minister Edghill.
With regard to security, the minister said, “We have had to patrol the environment to ensure the integrity of the airport is protected by ensuring that we have better security, so that we can manage and monitor the activities that are happening around the area.”

Minister Edghill stated that the airport’s beautification is just the start, and the government has more plans for the rest of Guyana as they move forward. He related, “This is not the end of the beautification process of the airport and Guyana; we have a lot more that we will be doing.”

In sending a message to the people who are spreading a false narrative about the development of Guyana, Minister Edghill said, “I believe that we have a segment of our society who have not yet embraced the vision that has been articulated and is being implemented by the PPP/C administration that is led by President Ali. There are those who like to walk around, find some garbage, and make that a big issue in saying that Guyana is filthy. There are those who would like to see underdevelopment and say nothing is happening, but when positive things are happening, they like to put their own negative narrative and their own spin on it.”

To sum up, Minister Edghill highlighted that President Ali and his government are focused on improving people’s lives. He pointed out that contrary to certain narratives, the PPP/C administration always seeks people’s input before undertaking any project that could impact their well-being. Though he mentioned that having a country with no regulations and where anything goes is not possible. According to him, “we were lenient and have allowed vending at the Kitty Seawall, and now people have built pit latrines. We have given them notice to move it; otherwise, we will have to move them. We are changing the face of Guyana, and we cannot allow Guyana to be a shanty town in appearance; we all know what they say about the first impression of a person or a place!”

One of the shop owners, Ms. Emily Pollard, has expressed her gratitude to the airport for the beautification project, which she believes will help attract more customers to her shop.
Ms. Pollard said, “I think that it has brightened up the area. Also, before this project, a lot of dust used to accumulate around our businesses, which made it difficult to attract customers.”
Shop owners have been engaged with and met by the CJIA management. Their commitment is to continue working with the people to improve their surroundings.