Latest update June 1st, 2026 12:37 AM
The area around Parliament can be clean and beautiful only if the political will exists
Dear Editor,
A year ago I wrote pleading with the authorities to give the entire external area around parliament a good facelift. I wrote thus, “My heart bleeds every time I pass by the Parliament Building which sits amidst the most foul-smelling part of the City of Georgetown. The pavements around it are a favourite sleepover spot for vagrants, a haven for touts, an open-air public convenience, a ganja smokers’ paradise, a spot for junkies to congregate, a dumping ground for garbage…”
I further observed that, “The Parliament Building is probably our most important symbol of nationhood, independence and self-determination; to have it submerged in filth and overgrown by a shantytown are telltale signs of a country falling apart at its foundations.” (SN Sept. 8, 2012).
It was heartening to pass around that area yesterday and see a lot of upgrade works in progress. Because of a heartfelt desire to see this institution of pride in good aesthetically order, I did some sleuthing and got details about the nature and extent of the works. From the information gathered, I respectfully submit that the planned works, though necessary, are not sufficient to restore the pride and beauty such a national symbol deserves.
For example, the current upgrades do not address the homeless dwellers, the broken sunken west and south side pavements, the putrid west side gutters used as open air latrines (where people freely dump trash, defecate and urine in broad open daylight) or the old shanty coops used to accommodate security officers at the back of the building.
A year ago I observed the continuing practice among parliamentarians to sit behind, “guarded steel barricades to insulate themselves and numb their consciences to the real degradation of the rest of society while they sip tea and cast legislative dice for the destiny of our souls.”
As such, this piece seeks to plead with the relevant entities, among them The Mayor and City Council (M&CC), to seek assistance from the Ministry of Human Services to rid the area of the destitute and imbecilic. The M&CC in partnership with the management of the parliament office should also seek assistance from the Ministries of Works and Local Government to repair the west and south pavements, along with the cleaning and rebuilding of the west side gutter.
Further, I recommend the dismantling of the current makeshift security hut at the back (Hadfield Street side) of the parliament building and an adjoining extension be added to blend into the historical colonial aesthetics, so that the heritage and beauty is preserved.
When looked at from any of the four sides, the building must have a consistent and aesthetically pleasing appearance, we cannot carry on with the “back of the building” notion that engenders dumping/storage of old furniture, vehicle parts and a host of other materials which cause the appearance of a backyard junkyard.
I wish to further recommend that the derelict building on the west side of the building, now occupied by vendors, be dismantled and vendors be suitably relocated. I will be bold enough to further suggest that if there is a shortfall in allocation of funding, each parliamentarian should give up their parliamentary meal/snack for the first sitting after the recess and take their own snack to that first session and use the nearly two million dollars to help fund the restoration of external beauty of the country’s most important constitutional law symbol.
Lenno Craig
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