A reluctance to be transparent

Sep 20, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
Even in the face of a full-fledged investigation and inquiry into the reported problems affecting the Georgetown Municipality, there seems to be a patent reluctance by some officers there to be transparent and forthcoming about important matters pertaining to the Council.
Appearing in the press is a report that vendors being relocated from the Stabroek Market wharf are being allowed to construct stalls at their own cost, in order to relieve City Hall of the financial burden of constructing same after it had already spent $23 million on preparatory works at Russell Square to accommodate them.
It was stated by a senior officer that the $23 million was spent on the resurfacing and reconstruction of the drainage system, among other things, at Russell Square, west of the Public Buildings. However what was carefully and deliberately left out was the tens of millions of dollars that have been spent so far and will continue to be spent renting the barricade from a favourite contractor.
That was set up months before they were ready to start and which will be there for months and years to come whilst the new ‘Waterfront Mall and Boardwalk’ is being constructed.
Why is such an expensive barricade needed? Why is a barricade needed at all? Was there a tender process undertaken for the rental of this barricade?
Would it not have been better to use these millions instead to construct the stalls for the vendors relieving them of this unplanned burden? Why did the officer report to the Council about these barricades and their significant cost?
And the band played on at City Hall!
Sincerely,
Roseanne Rodgers

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