Dear Editor,
While the stated objective of the Stabroek Market Square initiative—to enhance cleanliness and beautify a public space—is commendable and should be supported in principle, the timing and manner of its execution are profoundly concerning, unsympathetic to the plight of the working class and illustrates the aloofness of this Ali Government that now clearly resembles the Granger/Nagamootoo Government. Any rational assessment must conclude that undertaking such a disruptive project during the peak Christmas trading season is ill-advised and demonstrates a significant disconnect from the socio-economic realities of the vendors who depend on this space for an urgent income during the busiest selling season of the year.
It is this Christmas trade that fed thousands of Wales sugar workers during the period when the Granger/Nagamootoo government took bread out of their mouths and now this Ali/Manickchand Government is seeking to do the same?
This period represents the most critical window of economic activity for small-scale traders, many of whom rely on the seasonal surge in sales to sustain themselves and their families throughout the year. To initiate work now, regardless of the project’s merits, unnecessarily inflicts financial hardship on those least able to bear it. A more considerate and logical approach would be to schedule such construction for a period of lower commercial activity, such as January, thereby minimizing the economic impact on the vending community.
Furthermore, the implementation has been marred by a failure in sufficient and direct communication. The assertion that the concept was presented to city councillors does not substitute for transparent and prior engagement with the actual vendors themselves. The city councillors are also out to lunch on the bread and butter issues just like the Irfaan Ali Government.
The accounts of distress and confusion as barriers were erected without clear warning indicate a process that is, in practice, top-down, exclusionary and will leave many sellers economically behind. The Ministry’s assurance that “no vendors will be moved” is difficult to reconcile with the physical reality of stalls being obscured behind plyboard fences, effectively cutting them off from customer access and creating a de facto displacement.
But what was even more shocking is the deployment of a significant heavily armed police presence in response to vendors’ inquiries.
On these grounds, I must respectfully but firmly reject the current plan as it is being executed. I must state clearly that I have listened to the press statements from the WIN Team and must state also that what they said aligns with my thinking on the matter. It means that we are underestimating the political competence of the WIN Team; they get it. I therefore encourage the Leader of the PPP, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, the man of the people to pull in his wild underling in for fitness and marshal the following immediate actions:
· An immediate halt to all construction work and the removal of the plywood barriers at the Stabroek Market Square until January 2026.
· A public moratorium on any further work until after the Christmas and New Year holiday season, allowing vendors to trade without obstruction during this critical period.
· The initiation of a genuine, transparent, and inclusive consultation process with all affected vendors and their representatives to be held before any project resumes. This process must ensure that vendor livelihoods and practical concerns are central to any revised plan and timeline. Clearly tell them that the Project will start on January 15, 2026. Same destination; different road taken.
The principle that “development must have a human face” is a sound one. But Minister Priya and President Irfaan can do better than this.