ALMOST every Guyanese can relate to it. The mechanic operating next door who starts revving engines early in the morning; the spray-painting shop whose fumes drift into neighbouring homes; the welding shop operating late into the evening; the woodworking business producing dust and noise, or the livestock operation that was once surrounded by open land but is now surrounded by houses.
These businesses did not appear overnight and neither should they be treated as nuisances that can simply be removed. Many were established when villages were smaller, houses were farther apart and land was used differently. More importantly, they represent livelihoods. The mechanic may employ three young men from the community; the spray painter may have spent 20 years building his clientele; the welder may be paying a mortgage and sending children to school from the income generated in his yard.
But Guyana is changing and its communities are changing with it.
President, Dr Irfaan Ali’s comments during the Model Village consultation at Good Hope speak directly to this everyday reality. The government’s position is that economic activity should be protected, but it cannot be allowed to compromise the health, safety and quality of life of entire neighbourhoods. The practical answer is therefore not simply enforcement or closure, but investment in properly planned spaces where these businesses can continue operating and, potentially, expand.
Consider a mechanic currently operating from a cramped residential yard: moving that business into a properly serviced commercial area with adequate drainage, waste-oil disposal, parking and room for expansion could benefit both the operator and the neighbourhood. The mechanic keeps his livelihood and may even be able to employ more people, while nearby families regain a quieter and safer residential environment.
The same reasoning applies to spray painters, welders, joiners and other trades. A designated commercial or light-industrial space could provide proper ventilation, electricity, waste management and fire-safety systems that many small operators simply cannot afford individually. Instead of pushing small businesses out, proper planning can help formalise and strengthen them.
This is why this government is saying not to view the Model Village Initiative as another programme for roads, drains and recreational grounds. Those investments are necessary, but building a modern community also means thinking carefully about where people work, where children play, where businesses grow and how residents move safely through their neighbourhoods.
There are other familiar examples. A vacant plot that has become an illegal dumpsite could become a community garden or play park. An unused reserve could accommodate a walking track. Better lighting around a playground could allow families to use it safely in the evenings. Proper vending areas could prevent sellers from blocking roadways, while still allowing them to earn. Improved drainage can prevent the household at the lowest point of the street from being flooded every time heavy rain falls.
These may appear to be small matters beside Guyana’s billion-dollar highways, bridges and other major projects, but they are precisely the things people encounter when they leave their homes every morning and return every evening.
The ongoing consultations led by President Ali and supported by ministers and technical agencies are therefore important because no two communities are identical. What Good Hope requires may not be what Zeelugt, Grove, Tuschen, Enmore or Rose Hall needs. Residents know where the water settles, which road becomes dangerous at night, where traffic backs up, where businesses create conflicts and which spaces could be put to better use.
Government can provide the financing, engineering expertise and infrastructure, but residents must also take ownership. There is little point spending millions to improve drainage if garbage continues to be thrown into canals. A new park will deteriorate if residents treat it as someone else’s responsibility, and beautification cannot succeed if every available parapet becomes a dumping ground.
The Ali administration’s Model Village concept therefore presents an opportunity to address something Guyana has neglected for too long — how our communities actually function.
As the country becomes wealthier and more developed, the standard should no longer simply be whether a village has roads and drains. It should be whether people can earn, children can play, businesses can grow and families can live comfortably without one person’s livelihood becoming another person’s daily burden.
That is the balance modern Guyana now has an opportunity to get right.
