Dear Editor,
There is an album that was released a few years ago by my favourite American alternative rock band My Chemical Romance that is called “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.”
I would like to say to prominent attorneys Sase Gunraj and Charles Ramson “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” and for putting the brake on another one of the mad capers of City Hall, that is the charge to businesses for temporarily placing a shipping container in front of their premises for offloading of goods.
Indeed I hope that legal challenges are also made against their other irrational money grubbing attempts such as the imposition of the dubious parking meter initiative, their callous intention to increase property rates, and all the other hare-brained schemes.
Now that the judicial branch of Government has decided to put a check on the unlawful attempts by the Georgetown Municipality to put more financial burdens on the citizenry, it is my sincere hope that the other branches, that is, the Administrative or the Government and the Legislative or the Parliament would play their part in reigning in an out of control covetous and predatory council.
The lunacy goes on with the Town Clerk declaring his intention to replace GRA for vehicle licensing. Using most archaic laws and legislations that could not be applied to today’s circumstances that speaks to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) having responsibility for the identification of all public transportation system operating in Georgetown, he proposes to write the state revenue collection agency to begin discussions on reverting management of identifying public transportation to the City.
These taxis, minibuses and other public automobiles referred to, also operate outside of the city. So will they be required to have two sets of licences so that the government can put the second one toward the repair of bridges, parapets and roads outside of Georgetown? The City Council is moving closer and closer each day to making Georgetown into a City State the likes of Rome, Athens, and Carthage of bygone days.
It is important for government to recognise that these rash, foolish, and badly thought-out revenue earning ideas by the City Council will have an adverse effect on employment and business in the Capital, and rather than increasing the revenue base of the Council it will force persons to conduct business outside of the city instead of coming to the commercial hub.
It is clear that City Hall has little or no capacity in city management or city planning, and worse, the Town Clerk who should have had a legal background based on his job specification has no understanding of the laws of Guyana.
Sincerely,
Jermain Johnson
