Dear Editor,
We write today not merely to protest a single policy, but to sound an alarm against the systematic erosion of democratic principles in our nation’s capital. The recent decision by the Irfaan Ali-led administration to unilaterally impose development plans upon George-town, while deliberately excluding its democratically elected City Council, represents a profound breach of trust and a fundamental denial of the people’s will.
A government’s commitment to democracy is measured not by its rhetoric, but by its respect for established institutions. The Central Government frequently espouses the virtues of transparency and accountability. Yet, its actions towards the Georgetown City Council tell a different story. The refusal to engage in formal, structured consultation on critical issues like drainage and parking is a clear act of democratic duplicity. It is the behaviour of an authority that seeks to rule, not to collaborate.
This latest maneuver is part of a sustained and calculated campaign to render local government obsolete. For years, the capital has been starved of necessary funds, crippling its ability to provide basic services like garbage collection and infrastructure maintenance. Having engineered a crisis of capacity, the Central Government now uses this manufactured failure as a pretext for a takeover. This is not good governance; it is a power grab, plain and simple.
The plan to convert drainage infra-structure for parking is a poignant symbol of this overreach. It bypasses the council’s legal jurisdiction, diverts potential municipal revenue, and ignores the elected body’s mandate. This is not progress; it is the centralization of power under the guise of development.
We therefore issue a solemn appeal to the conscience of the nation. We call upon civil society, the business community, and every citizen who believes in representative democracy to stand against this overreach. We urge the Central Government to immediately cease its unilateral actions and to engage in good-faith dialogue with the council that the people of Georgetown have chosen.
The future of local governance in Guyana is at stake. We must defend the principle that the elected representatives of the people, at every level, must be respected. To do otherwise is to surrender to the very authoritarianism our democracy is meant to prevent.