Latest update June 25th, 2026 9:38 AM
Georgetown our unwelcoming capital
Dear Editor,
I am a citizen of this beautiful country Guyana. With reference to our capital city Georgetown, I venture to elaborate briefly on why it is an unwelcoming capital.
In our country we the people, have a tendency to accept the abnormal infrastructures and systems put into place by our so called modern and competent leaders as normal.
Only an honest person driving or walking the streets of Georgetown will come to accept that they are traversing in a failed city. When you look around you see the majority of our city consists of private investors, the remaining are government buildings and then our public places such as parks etc.
What makes our city so unwelcoming are the very things the leaders of any city, village or country need to work and develop on to make it a better place to live, work and visit.
Drainage in Georgetown is a disaster and it only goes to represent the relevant authorities put in place to manage such basic infrastructure. With reference to drainage let’s take a look or should I say smell of the canal on Lamaha Street, or gutter, whichever the relevant authorities classified it under, is surrounded by schools, businesses, banks, the Guyana Revenue Authority and the GPHC, but the repugnant stench emanating from this canal only leaves one to vomit, turn the air conditioning off or wished they walked elsewhere and this has been the case for many years, but we have grown to accept it as normal.
Fifteen minutes of rain and you cannot walk Stabroek Market, Bourda Market, Water Street, Robb Street, Regent Street and places too numerous to mention.
The traffic is so congested not because of many vehicles, but because our yet brand new traffic light system is almost totally malfunctioning, inoperable during the busiest hours or are simply not calibrated properly.
Accidents occur daily because of these lights at almost every junction giving directions spontaneously, junctions such as Vlissengen and Sandy Babb, Carifesta and Vlissengen.
There are vendors selling everywhere, and I mean everywhere- on the middle of Water Street in front of Stabroek Market, to the coconut and music carts going up the one ways and parking as they feel.
Three vendors were selling on tables on the middle of Water Street in front of Stabroek Market and two policemen were blindly turning their faces and when asked about it they bashfully said its the responsibility of the constabulary department.
The paves have become the market places leaving no place to walk but on the roads and subjecting taxpaying vendors to unfair competition.
There are few sanitary bins in place for public convenience, vagrants only waiting to see you eating and police in vehicles flagging you to a stop only to ask for a raise.
This is only the tip of the iceberg dear readers and it only gets worst as the rain steps in, the tourists arrive and the busy Christmas season continuously approaches.
It seems hopeless, but I wish the relevant authorities do take responsibility where necessary.
Sief Shaw
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