CITIZENS of Georgetown have grown tired of empty promises made by the APNU-dominated City Council to address a number of burning issues affecting them. Among these are the removal and disposal of garbage on a timely manner, clogged up drains and patchy roads.

The once beautiful garden city of Georgetown has been reduced to a garbage city, thanks to decades of incompetence and neglect by the PNC-dominated City Council.
As the country’s modernasition program picks up momentum, the full impact of such transformation is stymied by the ineptitude of the Mayor and City Council which appeared clueless and visionless on how to deal with the myriad issues facing the citizens of Georgetown.

This sordid state of affairs has not gone unnoticed by the PPP/C administration which has, from time to time, been injecting millions of dollars to bring some measure of relief to the citizens of Georgetown.

Georgetown, after all, is the capital city and pride of all Guyanese. Its beautiful blend of European and local architecture makes it unique and a marvel to behold. The parallel roads and streets lined with trees give the city a distinctive appearance. The City Hall, currently under rehabilitation thanks to funding from central government is arguably one of the most architecturally elegant structure in the Caribbean.

Yet the full beauty of Georgetown is masked by the decades of neglect inflicted by the PNC-dominated City Council which shamelessly continue to neglect the city and by extension the concerns of its citizenry.

This state of affairs is about to change. During a recent impromptu visit to the Kingston community by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, he assured residents that the city cannot wait on the City Council any longer. He promised to put together a group involving the Ministry of Public Works and City councillors to bring about meaningful changes to the city, including the clearing of alleyways and drains. In addition, defects on roads will be patched and street lights installed where needed.
This is indeed a commendable gesture on the part of President Ali whose proactive leadership style has resulted in significant improvements in the quality of life of Guyanese throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

It is an unfortunate fact of our post-independence history that economic and social progress has been stymied by the incompetence and dictatorial policies of the PNC regime. Put in another way, whatever progress has been made is attributable to the sound and people-oriented policies and programs of the PPP/C administration.

It is indeed unfortunate that the city of Georgetown has been held politically hostage by the PNC which seem both incapable and unwilling to manage the city in a manner that is satisfying to the needs of the citizens. The good thing is that such dynamic is likely to change as the ruling PPP/C administration has been making incremental but significant political gains in the governance of the city. This auger well for the citizens of Georgetown who have long dreamt of a return to the status of a Garden City.

President Ali has committed to the transformation of the city and the restoration of its past glory. He pledged to work with the citizens of Georgetown to bring about positive change to the city. Already, the face of Georgetown is undergoing significant changes through a number of central government interventions and First Lady Arya Ali’s beautification programs.
Georgetown has a special place in the developmental agenda of the PPP/C. This is manifested in the ‘Operation clean-up’ led by President Ali. But as pointed out by President Ali, “the responsibility resides in all of us to make the difference and we are starting from the city itself. What you are seeing here is just the tip of the iceberg.”

The City Council, for its part, need to rise above partisan politics and work together with the central government to bring about meaningful developments. It has to stop shifting blame on others including the government, private sector and the taxpayers of Georgetown for the current deplorable state of Georgetown.