Dear Editor,
I have known Mayor Alfred Mentore for many years, and I believe it is important to state, fairly and on the record, that he has consistently demonstrated concern for the improvement and long-term development of Georgetown. Unlike some previous administrations at City Hall that allowed the Mayor’s office to become a platform for partisan contestation, Mr. Mentore approaches the role primarily as a manager and businessman, focused on outcomes rather than political theatre. But there is only so much cash in the pot and the PPP has done a very good job of starving the City of new cash to do the things it ought to be doing for the residents.
It must also be acknowledged that the capacity of the City Council to effect meaningful change has been significantly constrained. The revenue-raising authority of the municipality has long been limited by Central Government policy, leaving City Hall responsible for paying for services without commensurate financial autonomy to raise the revenue to meet that expectation. This structural imbalance has contributed directly to the city’s present condition and the PPP has never been of help to this plight.
Georgetown’s difficulties did not arise in a vacuum. Over the past 33 years, Central Government has been under the control of the People’s Progressive Party for approximately 28 years, and the APNU-led administration for five. Both periods must be examined honestly, as responsibility for the city’s decline is collective, not selective.
It is within this context that I respond to recent public statements by Mr. Josh Kanhai. His commentary overlooks the historical record and the long-standing constraints placed on local government. If sustained political will and adequate resources had been applied over decades, Georgetown would not be facing the sanitation, infrastructure, and administrative challenges that residents endure today.
The suggestion that problems decades in the making can be resolved within a single year under Ms. Priya Manickchand, strains credibility. Georgetown’s sanitation crisis, deteriorating infrastructure, and weakened municipal systems are the cumulative result of prolonged underinvestment, limited autonomy, and inconsistent national-local coordination mainly under the PPP for 28 of the last 33 years.
Recent public exchanges surrounding a proposed engagement between Mayor Mentore and Minister Priya Manickchand have further highlighted the need for clarity and mutual respect in addressing these issues.
What residents require is not public disagreement or shifting narratives, but sustained cooperation and clearly defined roles that prioritize outcomes over optics.
It bears repeating that Central Government retains significant influence over municipal operations, including senior appointments in the City Administration and approval for the expansion of the revenue raising mechanisms at City Hall. These realities must be acknowledged when assessing responsibility for Georgetown’s present condition. How can Mr. Mentore deliver service without funds?
Overflowing garbage, clogged drains, unsafe streets, and declining public confidence are not new developments. They have affected Georgetownians for decades.
Residents are understandably skeptical of renewed urgency that is not accompanied by structural reform, fiscal empowerment of local government, and long-term commitment.
Georgetown does not need rhetoric or episodic concern from Ms Manickchand or her assistant Mr. Josh Kanhai. It needs honesty about past shortcomings, and practical reforms that enable and empowers City Hall to function effectively.
As citizens consider the future of local governance, they are entitled to ask difficult questions: Who held authority for extended periods? What structural decisions were made—or avoided? And how can the cycle of decline finally be broken?
Georgetown deserves more than repeated promises. It deserves genuine change, credible alternatives, and leadership that places the city’s interests above partisan advantage.
With new political options emerging like the WIN Party, voters should feel empowered to assess all choices carefully and demand results and not blindly follow Freedom House or Congress Place.