THE Government of Guyana remains steps ahead in upgrading facilities in and around the city with plans already in motion for the rehabilitation of the Le Repentir Cemetery in Georgetown.
This was disclosed by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who at the time was contributing to a debate on a motion during the 101st sitting of the Twelfth Parliament on Monday.

During that sitting, Opposition Parliamentarian, Volda Lawrence moved a motion for the rehabilitation of the Le Repentir Cemetery, during which she noted that it be resolved that the National Assembly calls on the government to upgrade the historic facility and implement a plan for its maintenance, including drainage infrastructure among other things.

Lawrence in presenting the motion noted that the PNC-led City Council does not have the manpower or the financial wherewithal to carry out such a project.
In response, the Public Works Minister noted that the members of the House are privy to an ongoing exercise that commenced several months ago where at the level of the Cabinet, it was decided that across the country all cemeteries should be addressed and there should be improvement.
He said, “So this National Assembly is debating a motion where the government, the executive is way ahead in terms of its actions in getting this correct.”

Highlighting the statements made by Lawrence when she noted that the City Council is unable to fund the rehabilitation and enhancement, he said that she is a senior member of a political party that owes the Mayor and City Council some $6.4 billion in rates and taxes.
“If the company that is a holding facility for Congress Place just simply pays the rates and taxes, the issue of the enhancement of the Le Repentir cemetery by the competent authority which is the Mayor and City Council could be addressed in a week’s time,” Edghill posited.
While he noted that his contributions to the motion should not be interpreted to mean that the government is unwilling or reluctant to ensure the beautification of the cemetery, he stated that the ‘script’ is being read in the wrong assembly.

To this end, the minister stated that this same motion should be presented to the City Hall where a large majority of the councillors are PNC members, should move a motion to say, that rates and taxes should be paid for them to do something to enhance Georgetown.
Further highlighting City Hall’s lack of dealing with the matter, the government had engaged a small contractor to clean up and have concrete roads done in the cemetery some time back and this was met with pushback from the city council.
Edghill indicated that while they were starting the clean-up, the city engineer was sent there and they were given cease orders to stop the works.

However, the Public Works Minister indicated that since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) came to office, they came with the understanding that Georgetown needed renewal and needed to be rehabilitated in several different ways.
Against this backdrop, he disclosed that central government has expended almost $20 billion on the improvement of Georgetown.

Further to this, the minister added that central government has estimates and continues to work on them for improvement works to the cemetery with which he noted that persons in the surrounding areas will be engaged to construct concrete roads in the cemetery.
Edghill reiterated, “If the company that is a holding company for congress place pay up their rates and taxes, [we] only need $1.3 billion of that $6.4 [billion] and we can get all the work done in the cemetery.”

To this end, Edghill affirmed that the rehabilitation of the Le Repentir cemetery is not something that they have to think about as it is something central government already has a plan for.
He indicated that they have not sat on their hands as it relates to the cemetery and as such government has been proactive in this regard.

While debates on the motion continued, the government side of the House proposed amendments to the motion which signalled that Central Government had already made moves towards interventions for the rehabilitation of the historic Le Repentir Cemetery.