The three M’s and not the army is the modality for maintaining a clean capital city

Some time ago, the newspaper series “Believe it or Not” by Ripley, gained the attention of Guyanese of every walk of life. Yesterday, “Believe it or Not”, I learnt that President Irfaan Ali, in an address to the Guyana Defence Force, said that the GDF, Police and Private Sector would combine their resources to clean up the city, so that the New Year is greeted with a clean city and for the Municipality to maintain. I hope that the one-month tax free salary is not a ‘sop to Cerberus.’ The President has either been ill-advised, or he himself is unwilling or incapable of understanding what is required to maintain the

Capital, and to return it to the days when Georgetown was regarded as the Garden City in the Caribbean. When I became Mayor in 1994, we appealed to the Central Government and the purported Private Sector, to co-operate in a well laid out programme to improve our Capital City. Our pleadings fell on deaf ears, except for the occasional Public Relations stunt, similar to which we heard from the President on Wednesday.

I need not go into the tedium of details but to remind President Ali, that among the measures required are, first the equipment to dredge the outfall channels from Kingston to Ruimveldt, all year round.

Equipment, such as the old ‘Sir Crawford’ or a Barge, with a large dragline mounted on it, would be able to accomplish this. This means that when the koker gates are open at low tide, the water from the Church Street, Kingston, Cummings, Princess Street, Sussex Street Canals, etc., with whatever suspended materials, would flow swiftly into the Atlantic Ocean. The Demerara River Channel is still blocked by sling mud discharged from the mighty Amazon. Second, all the interlocking and secondary drains, trenches, etc., needs to be cleaned regularly. Next, maintain all the major canals, and this must include the desilting and revetment of the entire Sussex Street Canal. The above is possible, now that there is an abundance of money.

Third, our parapets must not be used as mini-dumps, nor concreted. Next, the open spaces and yards should not be concreted capriciously. Establish a Municipal Court, so that indiscipline citizens could be swiftly, and condignly dealt with. Allow the professional and competent engineers to do their work. Next, educate citizens about the responsibility to the City. This will involve all religious, cultural and educational organizations, and must be an ongoing process. Over time this will produce citizens with a passion to keep their communities sparkling clean and tidy. I am disappointed that the leaders of the Army and Police have agreed to this absurd proposal, in circumstances where the Police is short-staffed, and the President as Commander-in-Chief of the Guyana Defence Force must know that the GDF is the remaining bastion to preserve this nation’s hard fought for democracy, already under assault by internal and external forces. The GDF must therefore not be used frivolously or capriciously by anyone.

Dear Editor, these are but a few of the measures which needs to be put in place with a Municipal Central Government cooperation, and I need not burden this letter with further details. Cleaning is one thing, which every citizen and visitor would welcome, but the major issue is the modalities for maintenance, which require management, money and materials - The three M’s. While I am concerned that the Police and Army could be better utilized in other areas, we welcome any effort to clean the City. However, what has been proposed by the President is like putting a band-aid on a festering sore. Season’s Greetings!

Sincerely, Hamilton Green Elder