–PPP/C City Hall Councillors tell APNU-run M&CC
–‘You need to be on the ground’, they say

THE progression of Georgetown remains at a standstill as the Opposition-run City Council continues to not fulfil their duties, according to several People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) City Hall Councillors.

While the PPP/C Councillors are advocating for betterment, meeting that goal seems hopeless as the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has had a tight grip on the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) for decades, with no sign of letting up any time soon, much less development.
Recently, several PPP/C Councillors appeared on an Online broadcast where they shed some light on the dire state of the capital city.
The mountains of garbage that can be seen at every turn in Georgetown have long been an eye-sore to the people. And it is within this light that PPP/C Councillor Jai Narine Singh Jr, better known as ‘Don Singh’, flayed the Opposition-run M&CC for its mismanagement of the city and constantly dodging accountability.

According to Singh, the responsibility for ending the APNU-led M&CC’s reign of exploitation of Georgetown rests with the electorate, who must vote for improvement in the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGEs).
While pointing out that the PPP/C’s Councillors are cut from a different cloth in that they are from a political party that shows care and concern, he said: “We’re on the ground; we are showing you that we are representing you. We are trying our very best.”
Councillor Steven Jacobs echoed similar sentiments as Singh, stating: “In the changing dynamics of Georgetown and the boom that we’re seeing, the city will generate more garbage. The Council is run basically on a committee basis. When you look at the solid-waste committee, you have zero PPP councillors.”

While explaining that recommendations are put forth from these committees before being brought to the M&CC, Singh said:
“One of the things that the Councillors from the PNC don’t understand is that you cannot manage a city from around a horseshoe table; you need to be on the ground.”
At this juncture Jacobs seized the opportunity to ‘rap’ the APNU Councillors for “dodging accountability”, and attempting to make the administration the scapegoat.
Among suggestions he put forward to help improve the state of the capital city is joining forces with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

For Councillor Alfonso DeArmas, his main beef was the current financial state of the M&CC, particularly the absence of a comprehensive audit for several years and the delayed submission of the 2024 budget.
Recently, Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo had cause to lament the fact that the APNU-controlled City Council has once again presented a budget that leaves Central Government to bear the burden of servicing the residents of Georgetown.
The M&CC has been facing allegations of unaccountability and lack of transparency for years, and the presentation of the recent budget did not change the situation. The budget was presented with very little information regarding expenditure, according to Dr. Jagdeo.
During a previous press conference at the Office of the President, he’d raised the list of concerns he has about the M&CC, especially as it regards financial accountability. Today, almost seven months into 2024, and it is only a few weeks ago that the APNU-controlled Georgetown M&CC presented and approved its $3,297,087,000 budget. “We know about the lack of audits of the City Council for a large number of years. If you don’t have audits, you can’t verify how much you collected or spent. They operate in this opaque environment deliberately,” Dr. Jagdeo said, noting how simple it is to get an audit done. Further, he said that when one operates in an “opaque” environment and is not guided by a document, then there is room for corruption.

“We know that this is how APNU operates; it’s no surprise. I’m shocked that people don’t see what’s happening at the City Council,” Dr. Jagdeo said, while pointing out that most of the M&CC’s budget is not directed at servicing the people. “…Most of the money in the budget now doesn’t go for services to the people of Georgetown. So, guess who will have to do roads and drainage and the sluices and a whole range of other activities; it’s the Central Government,” he said.