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The Le Repentir is the worst graveyard in the world

Jul 02, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
The recent epiphany experienced by City Councillors of the Georgetown Municipality, at their last statutory meeting, particularly those who were there for the last two decades, regarding the ostensible disorder and lawlessness that accompany funerals is just pathetic to say the least. These modern day Rip Van Winkles seem unaware that this has been going on for years now, to which they had all turned a blind eye. The city of Georgetown became uncontrollable and unmanageable under their watch over the last two decades.
First of all, they keep referring to Le Repentir which was created in March 1861 as a cemetery. It is not. At best it is a graveyard. But more practically, the Le Repentir graveyard has to be the worst graveyard in the world. It is a complete eyesore. A cemetery is a burial place where the grounds are neat and attractive, clean avenues and pathways, well-kept lawns and lots of specially planted trees and shrubs, in variety, flower beds here and there, and a Sexton who is in touch with everyone, easy to approach, sympathetic in nature, and courteous at all times.
No human being who has left this life deserves to have a final resting place as decrepit as what lies south of Princes Street in Georgetown. A person who bids a final farewell to his or her loved ones, find it extremely difficult if not impossible one year later to locate the burial sites where their loved ones have been interred. And alas! These Councillors are arguing about whether or not music should be played at funerals.
A visit to the brightly painted green Le Repentir office building where the burial records are kept reveals that these records are not in order which results in a serious problem of not being able to locate where family members, relatives and friends are interred. And these Councillors prefer to spend hours debating about the disruption of traffic, the noise, and alleged drunkenness of the attendees at funerals. Should they not be focusing instead on computerizing burial records and data?
The canals, which form the northern and southern boundaries of the cemetery, including the inter-locking side trenches, are clogged with grass and all sorts of unmentionables. There is bush everywhere in Le Repentir and the pathways are impassable and the Councilors are arguing instead about the so-called damage to the fence.
The grave diggers and other workers in the graveyard do not have the requisite tools and safety gear; and they are most times paid their salaries late and are still awaiting the payment of their leave passage allowances which should have been paid since the beginning of the year, but the Councillors are more concerned about ‘who goes to dance up and wine up and when they don’t even know who died’. Be reminded that some of these very Councillors were attendees at such festive like funerals in the past. Those Town Hall meetings are more like stand-up comedy shows rather than serious business where levelheaded and rational persons set policies for moving the city forward.
Riley Matthews

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