Cherish the friend who tells you a harsh truth

Dec 02, 2012 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I should be disturbed that my close friend of over 30 years, the Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Hamilton Green has chosen to personally attack my credibility in the press, but I’m not! Rather, I’m pleased that he is aware of my concerns for the shoddy way the city is being managed.
A little known free-lance writer named Robert Brault, once wrote, “Cherish the friend who tells you a harsh truth, wanting ten times more to tell you a loving lie.” Editor, this is the creed I live by. It defines my values and my character, and principles I will never compromise.
In response to a previous letter I had written about the garbage crisis in Georgetown: “Is this a joke” (Kaieteur News, November 23). Hammie sadly elected to play politics and the race card to justify the atrocious state of disorder and nastiness in the city he’s responsible for.
In his letter: “Harry Gill and his distorted approach” (Kaieteur News, November 30) Hammie wrote, “… it’s so easy to say take the vendors off the streets; the truth is we wish to do that, but it needs to be done with some order and compassion.” These roadside vendors did not just appear overnight, they were there for years and the congestion they’re causing is getting worse by the day. The Mayor has had more than enough time to effect a compassionate relocation of these vendors and to prevent a resurgence if he really intended to do so. Unfortunately, the “compassion” he has shown these vendors, has everything to do with securing his political base rather than preserving the beauty and integrity of our city, which has now been reduced to an embarrassing eyesore.
What is most troubling in his letter, is the following statement: “The problem is not so much the street vendor, but the need to accept vending as a way of life and to avoid them being treated as a nuisance.”
Is this a sinister plan to persuade Guyanese into accepting this abomination? Must we accept disorder in our Capital City as “a way of life”? The vendors in Georgetown have taken over the sidewalks and roadsides, risking the safety of pedestrians by forcing them to walk on the streets, further impeding the smooth flow of vehicular traffic. Is the Mayor asking Guyanese to accept this as a new “way of life”? What about the garbage the vendors discard in drains and waterways that contribute to regular flooding when it rains? Should this too be accepted as a “way of life”?
In its present form, roadside vending is a total nuisance to society, and some reformed is necessary to restore order.
Then the Mayor invokes the race card by adding, “…my friend Harry insults every Guyanese, but in particular the descendants of the martyred African slaves of 1823 by suggesting that the Parade Ground (now Independence Park) be used to accommodate vendors.
Let me say categorically, I am the mouthpiece of no one but my conscience and the truth.
Independence Park is unkempt and trampled on by youths playing football and other games. It is also used for political meetings and rallies, some inciting chaos against the Administration. But despite the Mayor’s perception, I firmly believe that relocating vendors to this location temporarily until a more appropriate solution is found, can be considered a fitting tribute to the martyred slaves. As their descendants, living in freedom, can now put better use to Independence Park to improve their economic wellbeing. Something that was a distant dream to those slaves in 1823.
The martyred African slaves are a part of our dark history that must never be forgotten, nor repeated. But most Guyanese alive today have relatives and friends who are buried at the Le Repentir cemetery. My father, mother, two brothers and grandparents are all buried there. Yet for years, this sacred ground has been neglected, desecrated, and disrespected by the Mayor & City Council that indiscriminately dumped garbage in the cemetery as recent as November 3, 2011, as evident by an article: “City Council continues to dump garbage in Le Repentir Cemetery” (Kaieteur News). Should I not feel offended by the Mayor’s approval of this action? Or does this concern for the deceased only apply to the descendants of African slaves? Does he believe that Independence Park is more sacred than the resting place of our loved ones that we knew and cared for? Put to the vote, I’m sure most Guyanese would not agree.
It is truly amazing how some groups and individuals show great concern for the descendants of African slaves to score political points and gain support. I vividly recall the ruckus from the opposition camp a year ago, accusing the PPP/C Administration of denying passage of legislation that would regularize ancestral land in Buxton and other villages.
Yet when Forbes Burnham and the governing PNC enjoyed a two-thirds majority in Parliament, none of those descendants of African slaves, strong supporters of the PNC, were given the land titles they’re demanding now of this government. What a travesty!
In what could only be considered justifying corruption by City Constabulary, the Mayor had this to say, “The other issue of corrupt officers is a serious matter  – Every day I try to deal with this erosion of the fabric of our society, but Harry could it be that these Constabulary Ranks are merely following the example set by the ‘big ones’. Should I offer a list? Just look at the Auditor General Report – NCN, NICIL – the Drug contracts, the road contracts, the Marriott deal.”
Instead of offering me “a list”, it is much preferred if the Mayor can produce hard evidence of corruption by the names on the list he’s so willing to offer. His party leader, David Granger and AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan had seven opportunities in seven nationally televised debates to produce evidence of government corruption, but failed to do so. Rhetoric is simply that unless supported by the facts.
Like him or not, my controversial friend, Hamilton Green has dedicated his entire life to the service Guyana. He has contributed immensely to his political party and his supporters, and continues to do so. But by being the Mayor for decades, and ultimately the one responsible for the growing demise of the city, he should now be concerned with the legacy he leaves behind?
For all the good things Hamilton Green has done in his long, distinguished career, he will sadly be remembered as the Mayor under whose watch, Georgetown was transformed from the ‘Garden City of the Caribbean‘ to what it has now become… an epidemic waiting to happen.
The M&CC still has time to save the city, but they cannot do so catering to the needs of their supporters. Strong leadership is needed to reverse this trend. And knowing Hamilton Green the way I do, he has the ability to provide the strong leadership. But the question remains… Does he have the will?
Harry Gill

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