Georgetown is a city beyond repair

Apr 10, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – Georgetown is a sight to make one’s eyes sore. Fetid drains, indiscriminate dumping of garbage, poor infrastructure, markets which should have long been condemned, and disorder all around, all paint a picture of a city in irreversible decline.

However, the decay and decadence of Georgetown are not recent phenomena. They are the result of decades of neglect and mismanagement that predated the PPPC government of 1992.  Despite what the politicians may say, the city has slipped beyond the grasp of redemption.

Georgetown’s crumbling infrastructure, choked drains, and inadequate municipal services are relics of a bygone era, remnants of a time when neglect was the norm and progress a distant dream. Even before 1992, the city was grappling with insurmountable challenges. This situation has now been made catastrophic by the lack of proper urban planning, coupled with the proliferation of illegal vending and squatting that have transformed Georgetown into a labyrinth of chaos and disorder.

The problems run deeper than poor municipal services. They are symptomatic a larger malaise that afflicts every aspect of urban life.

Even with abundant financial resources at its disposal, a cash-flush City Hall would still be powerless to single-handedly fix the deeply ingrained problems plaguing Georgetown. The city’s decay and dysfunction stem not only from financial deficits but from a pervasive attitude that does not allow for the orderly and effective development of the city.

No amount of money can compensate for the lack of civic responsibility and collective action needed to address issues such as illegal vending, inadequate infrastructure, and environmental degradation. Without a fundamental shift in attitude, Georgetown’s problems will persist indefinitely, defying even the most generous fiscal interventions.

Illegal vending has become an entrenched part of Georgetown’s façade, defacing its streets and pavements and suffocating its once-vibrant stores and markets. This problem instead of being nipped early in the bud has been encouraged to the point now it has been metastasized. The absence of zoning regulations only exacerbates the problem, leading to a haphazard landscape where skyscrapers loom over modest homes and sacred sites stand in the shadow of disreputable businesses.

Attempts to envision a revitalized Georgetown ring hollow in the face of such entrenched dysfunction. The cost of restoring the city to its former glory – of repairing its roads, revitalizing its green spaces, and improving its drainage – is staggering, beyond the reach of any budget.

Even if the city were to receive a windfall of oil money, it is doubtful whether it could be effectively deployed to address Georgetown’s myriad woes. The rot runs too deep, the problems too pervasive, for any fix or grand scheme to succeed. Like a party that rigs elections, Georgetown is a broken system, rendering meaningful change all but impossible.

The once-proud landmarks of Georgetown now stand as monuments to its decline. Merriman’s Mall, once a jewel of urban greenery, now lies neglected and overgrown and turned into a bazaar, a sad testament to the city’s faded glory. The streets, once bustling with commerce and culture, now teem with decay and vendors taking up every available square inch.

Attempting to address even the seemingly low-hanging fruit of illegal vending in Georgetown is akin to walking through a minefield of social unrest and discontent. Any effort to enforce regulations or curb this pervasive issue will be met with fierce resistance, with the possibility of it descending into riots and claims of victimization. The culture of illegal vending has so become deeply ingrained that individuals feeling entitled to sell their goods wherever and whenever they please. This sense of entitlement not only undermines the rule of law but also creates a volatile environment where lawlessness thrives unchecked. In such a climate, the very essence of urban governance is compromised. No city can function effectively in such a climate.

The only reason why attention is being paid by the government to Georgetown is because there is massive sunken private sector and public sector investment within the city. All of the government ministries and most of its departments and agencies are located in the city. The government, however, should have long moved its ministries and departments out of the city and into other areas where greater order can prevail. But the massive private sector investments in the city and the fact that it is still the country’s main port will always allow for some importance to be attached to Georgetown.

It is now even more important for the government and the private sector to shift their investment focus away from Georgetown and towards the creation of new cities, towns, and secondary urban centers. Georgetown is beyond fixing.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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• indiscriminate, Infrastructure, Peeping Tom, Redemption, repair

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