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Hamilton Green is like the moon; daybreak will come

Mar 27, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
One can only watch in amazement at the pivot if not the pirouette by the 82 year old Hamilton Green as he undertakes his new responsibilities as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, (CHPA).
This Octogenarian has moved from presiding over and condoning every conceivable misconduct and transgression by his fellow Councillors and Officers at the Georgetown Municipality for the last 22 years to now being the picture of moral rectitude as the Chairman by demanding the highest standards of professionalism and accountability from the staffers at the CHPA.
But then again one should not be too surprised, as in the past he moved from being a strong man and hatchet man to a Moral and Spiritual Revivalist. Since 1994 after Green became the Mayor of the capital with much pomp and fanfare, there has been an explosion of illegal vending, both itinerant and fixed on the pavements of law abiding and taxpaying business owners.
This was encouraged by him because he considered it politically expedient, counting on the vendors for votes to support his failed attempt at the national elections and then later using them to protest against a former Town Clerk with whom he had a running battle. This situation allowed the City Constabulary to have a field day, shaking down vendors all over the city. These constables made millions for themselves and their superiors.
The then Mayor also allowed Building Inspectors from the City Engineer’s Department to first draw building plans for new homeowners in the city, and then turn around and approve the very plans they and their colleagues drew, a clear conflict of interest. He also allowed these inspectors to turn a blind eye to all the serious violations of the building codes and municipal by laws in the city. One would have to be blind not to see the illegal covering of drains, construction of pavements, additions and renovations to buildings that go too close to fences, buildings going up without proper foundations leaning soon after, a threat to nearby buildings, the burgeoning of commercial entities in residential areas, something that he could rectify now as Chairman of CHPA.
But it did not end with the Officer Corps, but continued with his colleague Councillors where one was well known for selling putrid and stolen meat, a violation of public health regulations, whilst another waived interest on property taxes illegally and broke all tender board procedures in approving purchases, whilst many others had their relatives employed or contracted with the Council, a clear case of nepotism, all of which the then Mayor was fully aware but did nothing.
Fast forwarding the tape we now see Green halting the building of turnkey homes, launching a number of investigations in several transactions by the entity, sending home key officials of the CHPA, demanding all sorts of information and records. What is up with Green and this epiphany? Why did he not do the same at City Hall? There is an old Guyanese saying ‘Moon ah run till daylight ketch am’.
Mark Roopan

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