“Guyana cannot only be changed with nice roads and buildings” – Pres Ali
…leads clean-up exercise in Georgetown
Just at the break of dawn on Saturday, President Irfaan Ali and several Cabinet Ministers led a clean-up exercise throughout the city in demonstration of his Government’s commitment to holistic transformation of Georgetown.
The Head of State spearheaded the clean-up exercise in Sophia and at the Georgetown Seawalls, where he was joined by Senior Minister within the Office of the President, with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Public Works Minister Juan Edghill; Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat; Sport Minister Charles Ramson; and Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn.
Along with garbage collection, unwanted items lying along the roadway were removed, and the Guyana Fire Service assisted by washing unclean areas and pavements. The seawalls were littered with garbage, and needed immediate intervention, and
President Ali explained that Guyana’s transformation must not only be through infrastructure such as roads and buildings, but also cleanliness and appreciation of the environment.
President Ali leading the way during the clean-up initiative
He underscored, “This is another demonstration of our total commitment to Guyana; our commitment to the improvement of every aspect of life in Guyana, the way we ought to be, and the type of examples we ought to set if we are to change Guyana.”
He added, “Guyana cannot only be changed with nice roads and buildings; it has to be changed by each of us changing the way we treat the environment; changing our behaviour in the environment; the way we respect each other on the road; the type of responsibility we exercise towards each other.”
In just Georgetown, over 1,400 persons came out to support the clean-up efforts. The President called for this to be the stepping stone towards influencing others to join the movement and contributing to the “One Guyana” mission.
Minister Juan Edghill at the seawalls where garbage and debris were removed from the area
“That tells you that our people, the Guyanese people, are committed to this task. We now have to ensure that we work each on changing another person, so that they will understand how important it is to keep the place clean and be a positive role model,” the President said.
Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Omar Khan; acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken; members of the Joint Services, the Private Sector and Civil Society also participated in the clean-up efforts.
This clean-up exercise has been dubbed important, since it leads into the Cricket Carnival period and then the Christmas season.
Ali stressed, “Work is going on…all across the country; we will be joining the different regions. This is an exercise that we said we would do every quarter, but this one is very significant because it is taking us into the Cricket Carnival and then into important national celebrations, including Diwali and the Christmas season…It takes us into an explosive year next year.”
GDF ranks on the ground
The last massive cleanup exercise was done back in May, when volunteers across the country participated in a beautification effort spearheaded by the President under the “Men on Mission” and “One Guyana” initiatives. (G12)
