The call for an IMC is banal and should be rejected

Sep 06, 2008 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The Chronicle Editorial of September 02, 2008 titled: “Let us resuscitate the IMC” expose a diabolical plan by the powers that be, for the total control of every institution and agency in Guyana.
The editorial sets out to deceive readers about the real issues at City Hall and subtly seeks support from a concerned and justly dissatisfied citizenship.
Given the fact, to suggest an Interim Management Committee at this stage of our political development is crassness and a backward step, inconsistent with the practices of a democratic state, and makes a sham of this clamour of a return to democracy.
The local government system with appropriate safeguards, offers a wonderful opportunity for sharing, good governance and genuine people’s democracy.
The article glorifies the work done by that IMC for the half year that it managed the affairs of the city from January 20, 1994.
What the article failed to tell us, is the substantial sums of money and works that the Central Government pumped into the city during the IMC period for repairs and rehabilitation, so that the PPP will look good. During that same time, recall that Her Gracious Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11 and her husband visited with us.
For this brief visit, apart from the above, the Central Government made available fifty-four million dollars ($54M) directly to the municipality.
With the cost of fuel, materials and wages have increased many times since then.
Compare the $54M then to the $15M given to us a few days before Carifesta X.
A classic case of ‘different strokes for different folks.’
The editorial did not emphasize that even with the enormous injection of money, services, manpower and materials by the Central Government, that the very IMC observed that in order to manage the city effectively, it was necessary to broaden the revenue base of the Council. In other words, it needed to collect more money.
It is interesting to note that in spite of this effort by the PPP administration and the IMC, the people spoke.
The new democratically elected Council was made up of GGG-12 seats, PNC -10 seats and
PPP-8 seats
The first appeal to the government in keeping with the observation by their IMC which was in order to maintain the rhythm of activity, more money was needed.
A number of measures were proposed to broaden the Councils revenue base. All the proposals to raise money put to the government were rejected.
The newly elected Mayor proposed the introduction of a city lottery and began negotiation with a company, and sought the support of Central Government.
At a meeting with the acting Head of State- a delegation which included the Town Clerk and Ms. Philomena Sahoye-Shurry (PPP)- we were told that the PPP Civic government did not favour a lottery for fear that the religious community would oppose it.
Interestingly, within a few months, the existing lottery was up and running. The Central Government receives millions daily from this enterprise, but not one cent comes to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council. This calumny and injury to us requires no further comment.
Over time, other revenue earning measures were proposed, not one was given (forgive the euphemism) the green light.
Citizens need be reminded that after the council concluded discussions with an overseas based company for the introduction of parking meters in parts of Georgetown, intended to help regulate traffic and earn the Council some money; the day the officials of the company came to sign an agreement, a letter was received from the Honourable Minister of Local Government instructing us not to proceed, since government was looking at the whole question of parking in Georgetown. Years later; the Government is still looking.
A report prepared by Professor Atkbar Khan for the orderly development of Georgetown 2001-2010 was accepted by Cabinet, but for some inexplicable reason is being ignored by government.
Recently the revenue earning parking lot which the municipality managed for over seventeen (17) years .was seized by an Honourable Minister of Government. There was neither consultation nor compensation.
When this event took place with members of the Police Force present, the Minister boomed if any one attempted to collect parking fees on behalf of the Council, they will be locked up.
What a wonderful return (sic) to democracy.
The sorry state of the City, accepting our flaws and weaknesses, inherent in the structure of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, is certainly exacerbated by government’s attitude to an elected Council where they did not gain political supremacy, and in the circumstances, where its Mayor refuses to be a peon, or another house slave. The editorial has let the cat out of the bag and exposed the real intention of a governmnet that, apparently , has no interest in any form of shared good governance, the essence of a modern democartic state.
All of tle Councils and Municipalities where the PPP did not gain the majority are being made to seem a failure, and perhaps, they can also explain why the anchor of Local Government reform, that is, the granting of some amount of authority to the duly elected Mayors and  Chairmen have obviously been resisted by the PPP side, while there are various spokespersons who would deceive the public and some naive politicians by proposing this nonsense of fiscal transfers and manipulation of the electoral system.
In the first instance, expereince tells us as in the case of Critchlow Labour College that if a Mayor, Chairman or Council fails to dance to the tune of the government, they would simply withhold monies even though approved by Parliament.
We need recall how, when the PPP came into offoce in 1992, there was a sustained assault on the character and competence of Mayor Young and his mostly PPP Councillors.
This led to the Council virtually demitting office, which opened the door for the PPP to hand pick an IMC to manage the city and to await elections for a new Council, which took place six months later.This play for an IMC is banal and should be rejected out of hand. Let democracy reign, let the local government reform give the Mayor and Council some authority to raise funds and release the creative energies of citizens.
Then with the new dispensation, let us have Local Government Elections and stop this nonsense about an IMC.

Hamilton Greene JP, Mayor

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