— as gov’t vows to dismantle ‘anti-development establishment’ at City Hall, accelerate reforms

MINISTER within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, has once again called out the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)-controlled Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) for deliberately strangling the development of the capital, as the government intensifies efforts to wrest the city out of what it describes as decades of political sabotage and administrative decay.
Speaking on the state of the city, McCoy said Georgetown remains “a victim of political sabotage and administrative paralysis,” after more than six decades of what he described as a “chokehold and strangulation” by APNU leadership.
“No doubt, the city has had the negative benefit of predictable behaviour from APNU’s leadership. Once again, for its 60th year of chokehold and strangulation of the city, Georgetown remains a victim of political sabotage and administrative paralysis,” McCoy said.
He argued that the city’s persistent problems stem not from a lack of resources, but from what he termed outdated and retrogressive management at City Hall, singling out Mayor Alfred Mentore for what he described as “chronic inefficiency, gross incompetence and calculated mischief.”
According to McCoy, Mentore has repeatedly engaged in what he called “duplicitous double speak,” saying one thing privately and something entirely different publicly on the same issue.
“That is the core of the problem. He says one thing privately and something entirely different publicly on the exact same matter. It is the exact behaviour that has prevented the city from moving forward,” McCoy said.
The minister contended that Georgetown has consistently been denied meaningful opportunities for transformation whenever the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) holds national office, as a result of what he described as politically motivated obstruction by APNU at the municipal level.
He said the effects are felt not only by residents, but by businesses, visitors and investors who must contend with what he termed the “political stench” of poor city governance under the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which is the major party in the APNU.
In contrast, McCoy pointed to the PPP/C government’s interventions over the past five years as evidence of its commitment to the capital’s renewal.
“We have carried the responsibility of fixing streets, rehabilitating drainage pumps, installing streetlights, restoring City Hall, establishing and maintaining recreational parks and facilities, and even cleaning canals, alleyways and massive garbage dumps, all the residue of APNU’s negligent leadership,” he said.
He further cited the state of the PNC’s Festival City property as a “glaring example” of what he described as the depth of APNU’s incompetence.
“It stands as a monument to decay and mismanagement, dilapidated, filthy and neglected, mirroring their governance style,” McCoy added.
The minister also referenced what he described as controversial decisions by the M&CC, including a $6 billion tax write-off and the leasing of prime road-front, revenue-generating land to the PNC for $20,000 per year for 99 years.
“These are not accidents, they are deliberate acts of political self-interest,” he said.
McCoy stressed that the government remains open to working with all stakeholders to achieve meaningful change but insisted that progress requires dismantling what he termed an “anti-development establishment” at City Hall.
“This requires discarding narrow, selfish political motives and vendettas. We must dismantle the anti-development establishment at City Hall that governs only for themselves, their friends, families and favourites,” he said.
He said the broader vision is to align Georgetown’s development with Guyana’s rapid national transformation under President, Dr Irfaan Ali, which continues to place the country on the global stage for socio-economic progress.
“The time for the city’s transformation is here and now. Our partnership for the city’s advancement remains genuine and progressive. We will work with ordinary citizens, business leaders and stakeholders to share in the glory of a transformed, progressive city,” McCoy said.
He added that Georgetown must once again become a symbol of national pride.
“A place where our children and all citizens can bask in the splendour, sparkle and beauty of our beloved Georgetown we have long imagined. Guyana must be the greatest success story. The world is waiting for it,” McCoy said.
Earlier this week, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand said that Georgetown residents are being “held hostage to poor politics,” as the Mayor and councillors aligned to APNU backed out of a scheduled engagement aimed at charting a way forward on the city’s worsening solid-waste disposal challenges.
Minister Manickchand disclosed that the Mayor, Alfred Mentore, had initially accepted an invitation to attend a closed-door meeting at 11:00hrs to discuss a way forward for solid-waste management in the capital.
However, she said that after requesting that all councillors be invited to ensure broad representation from each constituency, the Mayor withdrew his participation at the last minute.
“No APNU councillor was present at the meeting,” the minister stated, adding that councillors who did arrive later received calls and “hurriedly left the compound.”
According to Manickchand, the decision to widen the invitation was intended to foster inclusive dialogue and benefit from the perspectives of councillors representing residents across the city.
The sudden withdrawals, she noted, undermined ongoing efforts to build a collaborative working relationship between central government and the M&CC.
Manickchand stressed that residents, commuters and visitors to Georgetown should not suffer as a result of political manoeuvring, particularly as waste accumulation and sanitation challenges intensify.
“The residents and users of the city must not be held hostage to poor politics,” she said, underscoring that public officials have a duty to be responsive to the needs of the population.