Donald Trump’s Wall is being built in Guyana

Mar 10, 2017 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

For those who were wondering when the wall that Donald Trump promised would have been constructed, the good news is that it has started. The bad news is that it is not being built along the Mexican border nor is it being built by the Americans.
The “mother of all walls” is being built right here in Georgetown at the Ministry of the Presidency. A massive, fortified concrete wall is being constructed around the old building which Burnham had built as his office.
The wall is impenetrable. Huge cranes were pouring concrete into the massive columns. Just why such a wall has to be constructed is anyone’s guess. The old chain link structures boosted by heavily armed personnel had done a good job over the years in keeping out intruders. It had also allowed passersby to see what was going on inside this most important compound which is the seat of executive authority in Guyana.
In due course, one can expect the media to ask the government why such a wall is needed, what will happen behind this wall and, more importantly, what is the price tag for that structure. Are we building a new Presidential Palace behind these walls?
Guyana is supposed to be going green and all this concrete work is flying in the face of all the talk about greenness. The PPP had decided that Durban Park would become a green zone. This was actually announced publicly. The PPP however allowed this area to descend into a mini- rainforest in the city.
The new government, with its green flags and green agenda came into office and decided that the Durban Park “jungle” had to be cleared and converted, not into playgrounds and a recreational park which it was under Burnham, but into a military drill square to host public events. The greenery was overlaid with sand and crusher run, asphalted lanes were put down and wooden structures were erected creating an ugly and unsightly appearance.
The place has an unappealing and unattractive ambience. It has no character. It is part of the concrete revolution which is enveloping the city.
The Demerara Cricket Club Ground used to be a pleasing sight in the city. This ground has produced West Indian greats such as Clive Lloyd and Lance Gibbs and later the Harper brothers. It was an inviting patch of greenery within the city. You could be passing on your way from work and stop on the road and look and see an exciting finish to a game. Not anymore! A massive concrete wall has been erected around the facility.
Further up in Thomas Lands, the old Cosmos Sports Club which used to be cricket ground and hockey field has been tuned to a mini go- kart motor racing course. A structure has been erected on the northwestern side of the ground.
Somebody needs to explain how all those things are being permitted to destroy the traditional ambience of the city and how all this conforms to the greening of Guyana. It does look as if instead of greening we are having a graying, the graying of concrete structures. Perhaps the wise government will daub a coat of green paint over the concrete walls and structures which are being erected, to create a façade of greenness.
For those who are wondering where the monies from the increased VAT on private education and health care are going, the answer is obvious. It is going to build a Trump-styled wall around the Ministry of the Presidency. All in the name of the green economy!

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