President Granger has already put his stamp on the country

May 21, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
David Granger has only been sworn in as President for a few days now, but he has already put his stamp on the country, not only with the re-naming of the Office of the President but also by initiating a cleanliness campaign in Georgetown and throughout the country.
The collection of garbage and efforts to clean Georgetown which is the stronghold of APNU-AFC was not even mentioned much less discussed during the election campaign. However, dissatisfaction among city residents over the garbage situation ran deep.
The PPP abandoned almost everything in the capital, including the Independence Arch – a monument it left to rot.
It is well known that the Mayor and City Council do not have the power and wherewithal to solve the financial woes facing the city. The PPP administration refused to allow the PNC arm of the City to function in its official capacity. In fact, they sidelined the Council and allowed the PPP-appointed Town Clerk to run the city. But during the election campaign, the President suddenly became a born-again convert to the doctrine of greater autonomy and self-determination for City Council. He promised that if elected, the PPP government would allocate a share of the national budget to the City Council of Georgetown and other local authorities to manage the affairs of their respective cities. Again, this was another empty promise to the people.
Georgetown has oftentimes been described as the Garden City. During colonialism, the British had expressed much wonder at its beauty. However, a trip around the Georgetown these days will reveal that it has lost much of its pristine condition and immaculate scenery. Its natural beauty has been destroyed not by acts of war or natural disasters but by environmental degradation and by the uncaring and unconscionable PPP regime.
For years, the City’s beautiful waterways have become rife with pollution, sewage, garbage and silt. What Jagdeo and Ramotar did not do in 15 years, President Granger has done in less than a week after becoming president. He is leading the Coalition government to start a “clean up the city” campaign.
The beautification program is accompanied by a public-education and awareness campaign. It will not be a one-stop project, but an ongoing activity. President Granger has declared zero tolerance towards uncleanliness with the enforcement of the Anti-litter Act, which the police have paid very little attention to over the years.
Cleanliness must be a habit that is inculcated in the minds of the young people from as early as at the basic school level. A filthy environment can affect the mind in a negative way. Perhaps that is why there is so much violence, physical and verbal, in the depressed communities. The fact is, Guyana had an uncaring regime when it comes to the environment. The people have found it amusing, if not bemusing, that the former government would allow garbage to pile up in the city and then at the same time try to promote tourism. Will tourists visit a country that has a stinking capital city?
For too long, Guyanese have endured some very dark days under the PPP and today they are thankful that the APNU+AFC Coalition has won the election. They were fed-up with being deceived for years. The people have seen what has been happening for the past two decades and did not want it to continue. They were not going to sit back and let the PPP oppress them anymore. So on May 11, they came together as one people and took back the country from the grasp of heartless politicians. They were ready for a change. It was time for new faces.
There are a lot more issues to be addressed and I am just barely scratching the surface, but I am confident that the newly elected Coalition government will address all those issues and more.
Dr. Asquith Rose

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