Home Letters Is there no stopping the madness at City Hall?
Dear Editor,
It is mind-boggling how the train wreck called the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown are being allowed to hurtle toward complete disaster at break neck speed taking all of the citizens of Georgetown with them into proverbial hell, while those in authority are pretending as though everything is honky dory at City Hall.
Reading the recent letter appearing in the dailies, authored by the Chief Constable is very instructive. Why the Social Protection Ministry and the Police have not taken assertive action against the heads at City Hall is just unbelievable. Are we to understand that these senior operatives of the City Council are above the law, or is statutory rape of a minor no longer considered a serious offence in Guyana?
About this wanton waste of property rates in useless and unnecessary travel by municipal delegations led by the Mayor, will they be allowed to continue unabated?
On what legal basis has the Georgetown City Council made the decision to grant a 100 per cent waiver of interest of outstanding property rates. The law clearly only gives them the authority to grant a discount in special instances, not wipe out all of the interest at their whims and fancies. Will someone have to take them to court to stop this illegal practice that they embark on every time they are broken?
And why are they being allowed to withhold statutory deductions being made from their employees’ salaries? Is it no longer a serious offence to withhold Pay As You Earn taxes from the Guyana Revenue Authority, and contributions for the National Insurance Scheme? Why are these agencies failing to prosecute them?
The Finance Chairman announced his intention and that of the Council to begin retrenching workers very soon. The workers cannot be penalised for the maladministration and financial recklessness of the Council. It is the Finance Committee, the Town Clerk and the City Treasurer that should be immediately removed. But which workers will they be retrenching?
How much longer will the Council be propped up? How much longer will they be allowed to give out contracts for hundreds of millions of dollars to a few relatives and friends in breach of all the tender and procurement laws of Guyana?
Is there no stopping the madness?
Sincerely,
Mark Roopan