THE POLITICAL WILL

Sep 28, 2015 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Illegal street and pavement vending must no longer be treated as complex problem. It is a problem that can be easily solved.
Once there is zero tolerance for it; it will end. It is not a complex problem. It is a problem of size. It has grown out of control and has become unwieldy and unmanageable.
Once vending is illegal, action should be taken to shut it down. This has to be done before this country reaches a stage whereby no one will want to establish business premises.
People are selling all over. They will simply sell wherever they wish to sell. They are selling from trays. They are even selling from vehicles.
The City Council believes that the pavement and street vending problem is a complex one. It may be too complex for the Council to solve and therefore it may be in need of a perspective to assist it to address this problem.
There was a time when there were no vendors outside of the perimeters of the iron-grilled walls of the municipal markets. No one was allowed to vend outside of the markets.
There was however in some markets what is called a greens section. It was important source of revenue for the municipality. These days the “ “greens section” outside of most markets has been pauperized because over time the municipality has allowed street vending and therefore no one goes anymore into the green section.
The investments that were made have been lost and with it the opportunity of the municipality to collect revenues. People no longer shop in the “greens section” of the markets. Why would they? All that they want can be had from the street vendors.
This makes it easier for street vendors. But think about what it does for those who have businesses in the “greens section” of markets. They get no business and they are forced to use their stall as homes and storage dens. They have been pushed out of business by the pavement and street vendors.
The municipality has lacked the political will to deal with the problem. They have failed to address it because they have allowed political considerations to cloud their judgment of this issue.
The vendors are an important constituency, or so it is felt. But there is equally large- and I dare suggest more important constituency, namely legitimate businesses and legitimate vendors- that are being undermined and shortchanged by the historic process that has led to the emergence of street vending.
It is within the power of the municipality to deal with this problem that it says is complex. The municipality has the power and the capacity to deal with it.
It is not uncontrollable. Vendors are not allowed to vend outside of City Hall. This in itself shows that if the council really wanted, it could take action against all illegal vending.
It will be total waste of money for the municipality to be trying to clean up Georgetown, yet having the city looking disorderly and like a shanty town because of the vending.
Once the political will is there, places can be found for all vendors to vend lawfully. Once the political will is there!

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THE POLITICAL WILL

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