I have noted with interest the editorial published today by Stabroek News under the heading “Petty politics”, which draws attention to the state of our capital city, Georgetown, and the interplay between central Government and municipal authorities.
While I share the editorial’s concern about the deterioration of our city, we believe this is an important moment to clarify the Government’s position, mandate, action-orientated approach to governance and development, and unshakeable commitment to elevating Georgetown in line with our national transformative agenda.
A national mandate and the urgency of action:
Under the leadership of President Dr Irfaan Ali, the Government has adopted a bold, whole-of-nation approach to development, propelled by our rapidly evolving socio-economic status and the imperative to modernise our infrastructure. Our mandate is clear: to build all of Guyana for the future, to raise the standards of living of all of our people, and to ensure that Georgetown, the seat of Government and the country’s principal urban centre, is restored, revitalised and reimagined to reflect Guyana’s ambition and potential.
The editorial correctly notes the extent of deterioration: infrastructure stress, chronic flooding, collapsing drainage, overburdened services and urban decay. In that light, the Government cannot afford the luxury of inertia or the repetition of tired political dynamics that for decades have held back our capital.
Responsiveness, not political gamesmanship:
Contrary to any suggestion of indecision or stalling, this Government is moving quickly. The creation of the multi-agency team to execute the Georgetown Drainage Development Plan and the partnership announced with the King’s Foundation (UK) are concrete interventions with tight timelines and real resources.
We are not interested in mere rhetoric; we are interested in results. And results demand a break from the status quo of decades of underperformance of successive city councils and municipal authorities that have lacked the vision, capacity or willpower to respond to basic, and more so, growing demand.
It is recognised that the municipal authority, the Georgetown City Council under Mayor Alfred Mentore, is the constitutionally elected body for municipal infrastructure and services. But after years of successive administrations presiding over the decline of the city, including Mentore’s, brandishing political bravado with no workable plan to pull Georgetown out of the morass, while residents continue to suffer, we are taking decisive action.
What is also well known is the frustration of citizens who are tired of the back-and-forth, defensive postures, blame-shifting and municipal politics that prioritise power and control over service delivery and citizen welfare. The editorial’s reference to “piddling local authorities” highlights what is a widely settled assessment of the state of affairs at City Hall. It is therefore understandable, and indeed necessary, that the central Government is intervening decisively on behalf of the people of Georgetown. Allowing the usual political standoffs to continue is not an option when the livelihoods and daily lives of citizens are at stake.
Let us be clear: this intervention is not about undermining municipal Government. It is about ensuring citizens’ needs are served efficiently, professionally and transparently. The President has instructed that the relevant technical officers of City Hall, namely the City Engineer and Director of Solid Waste Management, be incorporated into the task force precisely because the expertise and institutional knowledge at City Hall must inform the transformation. Our view is that the operational tasks must be driven at a national level to accelerate outcomes, reduce red tape and bypass vested interests that have historically slowed progress. At the same time, full, meaningful stakeholder consultation has been built into the plan, from private sector partners, community groups, heritage bodies and municipal staff. This is inclusive governance in action.
President Ali has demonstrated a commitment to inclusive governance across every national sector. The opportunities for meaningful participation in the Georgetown revival plan remain wide open. Mayor Mentore, councillors, and any stakeholder who comes to the table with no ulterior agenda and a genuine civic-duty mindset are welcome to engage, contribute, and assist. But we are firm and determined: there is no room for the tired political tactics of hugging power, obstructing progress or staging manoeuvres that prioritise political antics over people’s welfare.
The nation expects and deserves civic service, not spectacle. The Government means business about our country’s development and will not be diverted by gamesmanship.
To the citizens of Guyana and residents of Georgetown, this Government hears you. You are done waiting. You are done with the political games of City Hall, where promises are made and broken, where inaction and inertia have become the perpetual posture simply to keep you pointing fingers at the central Government. The Government is now in the phase of action and delivery for you. The multi-agency team is operational; technical studies have begun; contracts will be awarded; major works will commence. You will see tangible progress and, more importantly, meaningful improvements in your quality of life.
Be assured, our rescue plan is not a stunt; it is a sober, urgent, and results-driven intervention mandated by you, the people. The days of small-minded municipal politics at the expense of residents are over. The Government is moving. Georgetown will be transformed. And we invite all credible stakeholders, including Mayor Mentore and the City Council, to join us rather than attempting to stand in the way.
We will measure ourselves by how many streets are upgraded, how many canals flow, how many green spaces are restored and new ones created, how modern the city becomes with smoother residential and commercial interflows, better parking spaces and traffic flow, how well it represents its capital status, and ultimately how well it improves the standard of living for you and your families. That is the accountability we owe the people of Georgetown and the country.