Wretched governance, wasted energy, woeful servants

Jan 17, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I seek your courtesy to share a personal story.  All Guyanese should be made aware of it.  From President to Vice President to Opposition Leader; from Minister of Local Government to Mayor, City Council, City Engineer; and from the biggest taxpayers to the smallest citizens, I present this little account of my experience, and ask these questions: is this a real place?  Can this ever be a country?

The parapet in front of my home has been threatening to collapse into the city drains.  I had boarded it up a few years ago at my expense, but time has ravaged into an extremely rotted state; it can’t hold much longer.  I spoke to the Mayor in December 2021, and he asked me to put in writing what I was proposing.  I had proposed to shore up the crumbling parapet with solid cast concrete, reinforced with steel, and on my children’s dollar. The mayor thought it wonderful, said he would work with the City Engineer, through the Council, for a visit, an understanding, and a document to be issued.  Nothing happened for months.

Subsequent calls to the mayor indicated surprise that there was no visit, and no authorising document, as internal discussions had taken place with the appropriate people.  The mayor promised to follow-up.  Then, one morning in August 2022, Mr. Scott from the City turned up; we had a pleasant, constructive conversation of what I intended; he took measurements, and I made clear that something in writing would be most welcomed.  This was promised.  It is now January 2023, five months later, and I am still waiting.

Editor, due to the decayed, rickety state of the wooden wall that I had erected, I realized (and everyone else that viewed it) that the parapet would cave into the City’s drainage system. I decided on greenheart and wallaba posts, with a touch of tar for good measure at my expense, the total of which, inclusive of workmanship is not cheap.  Astonishingly, within hours of the work commencing to keep the drains flowing, to facilitate the runoff from myself and neighbours on the street to be deposited into the drainage system, and go to wherever such goes, a representative of the City Council turned up with questions.  I leave my attitude, my reaction, my words to the imagination.

What was never forthcoming for 13 months, suddenly appeared at my doorstep in the matter of a few short hours.  I am still asking myself whether this actually happened, and I assure everyone that it did.  Here is a citizen trying to do the right thing, on his own time and his own dime, and there is this appalling development from an agency that is weakened and crippled by politics, incompetence, and inefficiency.  Yet there could be this incredible development within hours of action being taken, for what the City cannot do, cannot afford to do, cannot get around to doing, including issuing a simple piece of paper.  I know that this is a society of the sordid; but it does not have to be a country of cardboard and comic book citizens, inclusive of leaders and stewards.

As an aside, my rates and taxes have been paid, as is the norm since last year into 2024.  Yet this is the deplorable treatment that is meted out to those who fulfill their obligations.  Separately, I commend President Ali for his cleanup efforts and campaigns; I have been footing the bill to clear my drains, and empty my garbage bins, almost on a monthly basis for years.  I have not complained, nor have I made a big production of my civic duty.

Further still, I inquire, where is the City Council (City Hall, the City Engineer, Local Government Minister, and others) when those illegal structures are going up across the capital city.  To His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali, I have a simple, humble, question: is this the Guyana over which you preside, sir?  To His Lordship, Mayor Narine, I ask: what do we have for a capital city?  And what do we have for an organization at City Hall? My City Council visitor offered the vagueness of ‘a report received.’  It is difficult to believe this, since I am doing all residents in this area a favour; if the parapet collapses into the drainage system, the water in their years have nowhere to runoff, and would lodge there.

I close with this.  Is this a real country?  What kind of people do we have here?  What motivations could unleash something like this?  Given these questions, clear appreciation comes regarding how and why people arrive from everywhere and walk all over Guyanese, at will.  This can’t be clean governance, principled leadership, or ethical public service.  The urge is to stop identifying as Guyanese.

Sincerely,

GHK Lall

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• City Council, City Engineer, GHK Lall, Minister of Local Government to Mayor, Vice President

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