Floods exposed city's failings
City Council Roundup
by Cecil Griffith
Stabroek News
January 3, 2005
With the direct intervention of the Works Minister Anthony Xavier into the way in which the city engineer's department performs its duties re recent flooding in Georgetown it is evident that neither the city council nor the administration is up to the task at hand.
What the works minister, who was a former member of the People's Progressive Party/Civic-appointed Interim Management Committee (IMC), has seen for himself during tours of the capital before and after the last two heavy downpours, should now convince him that radical changes must be made at City Hall.
What took place some two weeks ago and on New Year's eve with many parts of Georgetown under several inches of water, should not be allowed to continue and from media reports householders, market vendors, stall holders, businessmen, workers and the citizenry at large are saying loud and clear enough is enough..
To quote the words of the late President Desmond Hoyte…"They should all go… they have done nothing…"
The flooding of business places and especially the city's markets where damage was done to merchandise raises the question… as to who will reimburse these business people who suffered. Are they entitled to compensation..?
At last the statutory meeting of the council for 2004 Mayor Hamilton Green again complained about the work attitude of some municipal employees and even directed the town clerk (TC) to put an end to the piece-work system now in place.
The 'chief citizen' was told how during the heavy rains a certain worker who was maintaining one of the outfalls refused to work after his allotted time on the job. The TC was told to inform the unions of the new proposals which are to be implemented.
The mayor was also surprised to learn that one of the overseers in the city's drainage department uses a bicycle to make his regular rounds to kokers and outfalls.
Further, it is disingenuous for the administration to blame citizens for causing the flooding because they throw litter in the drains and canals… Utter balderdash… the root cause is a lack of maintenance of equipment by the engineer's department and tighter control over workers under the charge of the city engineer, Cephas James.
Halted allowance
City councillors have decided to put pressure on Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Re-gional Development, Clinton Collymore following his rejection of a 50% increase in their monthly allowances. They now receive $30,000 per month.
At the last statutory meeting for the year 2004, in a motion moved by Good and Green Guyana (GGG) councillor CML John and seconded by GGG councillor Gwen McGowan, the minister was upbraided for rejecting the increase.
The motion said: "Any attempt by the minister to block the payment of the remuneration is contrary to a resolution of this council and is considered inordinate and revolting..."
After the intervention of Mayor Hamilton Green and Deputy Mayor Robert Williams councillors agreed to put the matter on hold pending an exchange of letters between the minister and Town Clerk Beulah Williams.
The 'chief citizen' urged councillors to take a consensual approach on the matter adding "we must have a free dialogue with the minister..."
The deputy mayor suggested that the Town Clerk write to Collymore explaining the reasons for the request for an increase in councillor's allowances and await a response.
He argued that city 'fathers' and 'mothers' have never collected over the years any other payments outside the $30,000 monthly stipend. He compared the percentage being requested for councillors to what municipal workers have received under the recent payout of increase in their wages and salaries for 2004.
But President of the Guyana Local Government Officers Union, Andrew Garnett who is also president of the Guyana Trades Union Congress told this column that such a comparison in money terms is odious.
He noted that the wages now being received by council workers are well below the minimum wage set by government, which is $45,000 per month.
Earlier in the debate councillor, Fitzgerald Agard of the PPP/C told the meeting his party was not in favour of the motion in its present form and would not support it.
It was finally decided that the town council write to minister Collymore explaining the details of, and reason for the increase in the allowance being sought by councillors.
Sacred Heart church
The head of the Roman Catholic church in Guyana Francis Alleyne has disclosed that no decision has yet been taken on whether to rebuild Sacred Heart Church.
The Roman Catholic church on Main Street in Georgetown was destroyed by fire on Christmas Day along with a school and the catholic presbytery.
Bishop Alleyne, a Trinidadian, was the guest on yesterday's One on One interview programme sponsored by Demico House which was broadcast at 7 o'clock with a rebroadcast on NCN tomorrow at 5:05 pm.
He explained that several meetings have been held by members of the church's hierarchy and members of the parish council to discuss the pros and cons of replacing the building.
The Bishop plans to meet with all the parishioners in the area to solicit their views on the way forward.
The head of the Catholic church in Guyana said the only things saved from the fire were a bell used for the preparation of communion and a statue.
Bishop Alleyne expressed gratitude for the many letters and words of sympathy and support from Guyanese living abroad and at home as well as non Guyanese.
In the interview Bishop Alleyne, who came to Guyana last January, responds to questions which were raised in the media that the church administration was careless which resulted in the fire.
Etcetera
People National Congress Reform councillors Zaman Ali whose infrequent and sometimes incoherent interventions are deftly handled by Mayor Green during statutory meetings is not too pleased with the way in which this columnist wrote about the fifty per cent increase in allowance which the council is asking Minister Collymore to approve.
Mr Mayor, said the PNCR councillor…"it makes us feel as though we are in need... we should deal with the people who sit among us…" He was the only speaker… This columnist was present…Mr Ali remains one of my favourite city 'fathers'.