The Minister and the City Council

Jul 02, 2014 Letters

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Dear Editor,
We wish to bring to the attention of the public an incident which occurred at the last statutory meeting of the Council.
At that meeting held June 23, 2014, the Minister walked out during announcements by the Mayor. This was rather unfortunate and worrying while the Mayor was away attending the 100th anniversary of Caricom Municipalities.
He learnt by telephone, by way of his secretary, of the Minister’s request to address the Mayor and Councillors at its statutory meeting on Monday June 23, 2014.
The Mayor’s initial response was one of compliance. However, after carefully examining the contents of the minister’s letter, a discussion with his colleagues, by phone, it was agreed that the Deputy Mayor (who was performing the duties of Mayor) write the Minister seeking an alternate date.
There were compelling reasons: First, the matters and issues stated in that letter were of concern to the Mayor and City Councillors. However, it would have been inappropriate to discuss such matters at a Statutory Meeting, which is a public forum with a packed agenda. Therefore, the council proposed a later date in the month.
But even as the Mayor returned to Guyana early Saturday morning and attended the conversation on Solid Waste Management — three ministers of the government were present—he was concerned that certain statements by Minister Whittaker, at that meeting, sought to ignore the duly elected council and to deal directly with Ms.  Carol Sooba.
The Minister showed disdained and disrespect for this duly elected council. That forced the Mayor not to attempt to reverse the decision of the majority of councillors that the meeting be best held at a later date and time more appropriate.
We understand that after the Minister walked out of the statutory meeting he said inter alia, that he was embarrassed, that there should be internal election, that government should disband the Council and install an IMC
With respect to the first, the Mayor who expressed sentiments of warm welcome to the Minister at the statutory meeting was surprised that the Minister did not show embarrassment, when last year, a the Mayor requested a meeting of all staff, and to which Ms. Carol Sooba replied with an obnoxious and contentious letter.
At a meet, the Minister agreed that the letter was obnoxious and requested Sooba to withdraw the letter, to apology. Ms. Sooba, after several months, has done neither of the things requested by the Minister.
He should also be embarrassed that he imposed, on this council a person who is unqualified for the position of Town Clerk. Ms. Carol Sooba lacks even rudimentary knowledge of management. She has caused this council serious embarrassment and great harm.
The Minister did not suffer embarrassment, when Ms. Sooba refused, on scores of occasions, to carryout decisions and instructions of the Mayor and Councillors.
The Minister seemed not to be embarrassed that the city is being neglected by the Government.
When Ms. Sooba refused to engaged solid waste contractors to help the situation in the city that ought to have caused the Minister some embarrassment.
He seemed not to be embarrassed when Ms. Sooba locked out of the council chamber the duly elected Mayor and Councillors, who wanted to hold its statutory meeting.
The Minister ought to be embarrassed that in spite of numerous complaints to him, about Ms. Sooba which she attempt to suffocate the Mayoralty, to wit: no money is provided for water, stationery and fuel etc., he has done absolutely nothing. In fact, in many ways he has encouraged it.
The unbelievable and unprecedented is occurring, at City Hall, because of the Minister, and the Government has no sense of embarrassment.
Finally, I would have expected that the Minister would be equally embarrassed that they are vacillating and clearly unwilling to implement a motion passed in parliament for restorations of Georgetown. Elsewhere I have noted that there is no need for a plethora of committee since we all known what is necessary for the restoration of Georgetown.
The Minister is free since this is certainly part of a process to assail the duly elected Mayor and City Councillors.
On the third and fourth issues, it is clear that for years this is an obsession with the PPP/C to control the city in circumstances where at the last election in Georgetown they only scored 27 per cent of the votes.
Finally, the Minister can avoid embarrassment if he applies the political bleach to remove the stain on our democracy, to hold local government elections, for Georgetown.
Mayor and Councillors City of Georgetown 

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