Request to gov’t for bailout underlines the failure of Mayor and City Council to deliver
The Motion moved on November 2nd by the Mayor, Her Worship Patricia ChaseGreen, seconded by Chairman of the Finance Committee, Councillor Oscar Clarke is indeed revealing.
Unable to prevent the possible outbreak of communicable diseases associated with poor municipal waste management endangering the health of citizens of the City of Georgetown, the cash-strapped Council is once again appealing to Central Government to bail it out of the impending health crisis. This time the Mayor is requesting $475,635,245 from Central Government in order to pay its debts to its solid waste contractors. This is a clear admission of the failure of the solid waste department of the M&CC.
This Motion was hurriedly presented to Councillors many of whom were given less than 24 hours’ notice to study this resolution aimed at honouring the debts to Puran Brothers, Cevons Waste Management, and Dartmouth Skips Rental.
The Town Clerk allegedly terminated the contract with Puran and Cevons Waste Management claiming that the Council would take over these functions. The question of payment was put on hold or suspended indefinitely. The Town Clerk continues to mislead the Council now it is revealed that the Council is unable to deliver on its mandate of keeping the City clean, green and healthy.
The lie that the previous administration created the mess we are presently in, is a worn out and even broken record. No one can now be fooled that the Council is once again trying to emerge from the mess created by the administration of this Council which is a repeat of all previous Councils which for the past fifty years were under the control of the People’s National Congress (PNC) due to its own misguided, poorly planned, mismanaged and inept Councils. While we agree that the Council must meet its obligations we nevertheless, expose the lies and the political blame game of those bent on misinformation.
The previous administration, which took office in 1992, the PPP/C, has always lent support to the Council and people of Georgetown, the Capital City, by paying Rates and Taxes whilst undertaking maintenance of roadways under the M&CC. This also includes trenches, sluices and Markets whenever the need arose. Can this Council list any of its successes honestly? To continue to cast blame is but a travesty and must be exposed for what it is- to cover up the failure of this Council to carry out any major project successfully. The fact that the Kitty Market project is now out for bids is an indictment of its inability to inform the Public why this project failed. To date the City Works Committee, a major Committee, has failed to present a comprehensive financial report on money spent on the Kitty Market fiasco and other major works for 2016. This needs to be addressed urgently.
Let’s examine the facts to see whether there is justification for blaming the former PPP/C administration.
Can the Council say how much money was given for the bailout for those years Central Government (PPP/C) has come to its rescue?
The resolution finally admits that the withdrawal of the services previously enjoyed by the Council has had a debilitating effect on the capacity of the Council to effectively and efficiently manage the collection and disposal of waste in the City. Even while admitting the failure of the Council the Mayor continued to blame the previous PPP/C administration for the sad state of affairs which she presides over.
The Mayor refused to acknowledge the PPP/C’s contribution to keeping the City clean. The refusal to allow me to speak on the Motion, as a duly elected Councillor has reduced the role of Councillors to mere rubber stamps or mere apologists for the Council’s incompetence, extravagance and high-handedness.
Whatever the outcome the Council has failed to deliver on its mandate of its statutory responsibility for the collection and disposal of the City’s waste under the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28: 01.
The failure of the City Council in many other areas really stinks! It is time for another Commission of Inquiry (COI) on how taxpayer’s monies is being squandered through continued mismanagement, poor performance and the highhanded way the Council is presently managed . Yours faithfully, Khame Sharma Councillor, M&CC