This is our city

Dec 24, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- The City of Georgetown is stink, dirty and disordered. It is littered with garbage, overwhelmed by illegal vendors and squatting and overrun with overgrowth.

Yet, it seems that the question of who should clean up this abomination of a city has ignited a fiery debate on social media. It all began when one of Guyana’s leading journalists posed a question: “Where is the private sector with its many vehicles to help clean the city?” The question was simple, innocent even, like a child asking why the sky is blue. But simplicity has never been the hallmark of adult discourse, especially not on social media

Enter a former senior private sector official. His retort was sharp, uncompromising, and laced with a disdain that could only be described as artisanal: “It is not the private sector’s job to clean up anything. Our role is to be the engine of growth, the employers of a capable workforce, and makers of money [ generators of wealth].”

Ah, the generators of wealth. One imagines gilded factories churning out prosperity by the ton, while workers in crisp uniforms sing songs of fiscal discipline. But here’s the thing: if the engine of growth is sputtering under a pile of garbage, doesn’t it behoove someone to at least clear the carburetor?

The official’s statement, though eloquent in its self-righteousness, raises a deeper question about the nature of responsibility. Yes, the primary duty of keeping the city clean falls squarely on the municipality. That much is clear. But the idea that private citizens—or, in this case, private corporations—are absolved of all responsibility because it’s not their job” is as ludicrous as expecting someone to file a noise complaint against itself.

Allow me to present an alternative perspective, one rooted in that quaint, almost forgotten concept called “citizenship.” Citizenship, dear readers, is not merely about paying taxes and complaining about how those taxes are spent. It is a social contract, a pact between individuals and their community, which includes—brace yourselves—picking up after yourself. And if you happen to have a fleet of shiny vehicles at your disposal, maybe picking up after others too.

Let us consider the private sector’s argument in its full glory. “Our role,” they claim, “is to be the engine of growth.” This is an admirable aspiration, akin to the ambition of a teenager to “change the world” by becoming a YouTube influencer. But engines require maintenance. They need oil changes, spark plug replacements, and—most importantly—a clean environment in which to operate. A city drowning in filth is no more conducive to economic growth than a nightclub is to silent meditation.

Then there is the assertion that the private sector exists to “employ a capable workforce.” Indeed, nothing screams “capable workforce” like employees wading through ankle-deep trash on their way to the office. Imagine the productivity boost when workers arrive fresh, unencumbered by the smell of last week’s fish heads or dead dog left to rot on the road. Surely, a little corporate initiative in tidying up the surroundings could be framed as an investment in human capital. Or is that too Marxist for the boardroom?

Lastly, we arrive at the pièce de résistance: the private sector as “generators of wealth.” This is true, of course, but wealth generation is not an end in itself. Wealth, in its most enlightened form, is a tool for improving the quality of life. If the only thing wealth generates is more wealth—and, incidentally, more garbage—then we’ve missed the point entirely. In the grand scheme of things, isn’t a clean city a form of wealth? Or does the balance sheet only account for assets that can be monetized?

But let us not lay all the blame at the feet of our corporate comrades. The journalist who started this kerfuffle deserves some scrutiny as well. His question, though well-intentioned, carried an undercurrent of exasperation that practically begged for a defensive response. “Where is the private sector?” he asked, as if calling out a tardy student in front of the entire class. A more constructive approach might have been to ask, “How can we collaborate to address this issue?” Collaboration, after all, is the bedrock of any functioning society, unless that society happens to be a reality TV show.

And what of the rest of us? Are we mere spectators in this drama? Hardly. We, too, are citizens—personal and corporate—with a stake in the cleanliness of our city. The next time you see someone tossing a Styrofoam container out of a moving car, remember: every piece of litter is a tiny act of rebellion against civic responsibility. And if you’re the one doing the tossing, congratulations, you’ve just joined the ranks of the great unwashed—literally.

The reality is that keeping a city clean is a collective endeavour. It requires a coordinated effort from the municipality, the private sector, and individual citizens. It’s not about whose job it is; it’s about whose city it is.

And lest we forget, Georgetown is our city. Its gardens, wooden buildings, markets, streets arranged in grids and its innumerable places of worship – all of it belongs to us. If we can’t muster the will to take care of it, what does that say about us as a society?

So, to the former senior private sector official, I say this: the call is not for the fleet of private sector vehicles to provide garbage collection services, but a gesture—a single truck, a single weekend — could speak volumes. To the journalist, I say: keep asking the uncomfortable questions, but do so in a way that invites solutions, not skirmishes. And to the rest of us, I say: pick up your trash. Better yet, pick up someone else’s. It won’t kill you, and it just might save the soul of our city.

(This is our city)

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• illegal vendors, overgrowth, Peeping Tom, private sector’s job, uncompromising

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