The US’ travel advisory and its implications

Dear Editor,
In a previous letter to the editor, I highlighted the fact that the area around the Stabroek Market block must be cleared of all derelict structures, and that the entire area should be properly developed into a modern urban commercial hub before any real change can take place in Guyana.
It is a glaring fact that no one can deny or simply gloss over. I say this because that area is a representation of the largest congregation of people of all types and groups, with varying agendas, most of which are not in keeping with legal activities. Those characters that frequent this area make for one big, lawless, ghetto-style confusion out there.
Municipal markets in the city are places where people navigate through speeding traffic and narrow passageways, vendors haggle, city touts shout to the tops of their lungs, and all are caught up in a daily profusion that is unsightly and dangerous. There is shouting and cursing; it is a place where vagrants abound amidst rotting, smelly garbage, and the stench of urine is suffocating! On a daily basis, this is the “normal” state of affairs in uptown Georgetown.
In such a situation, thieves and pickpocket hustlers roam free, because the situation encourages lawlessness. The situation gets even worse, as everything in those quarters creates the ideal atmosphere for such nefarious activities to flourish. There is a total absence of law and order around city markets.
It therefore behooves anyone to well understand why the United States of America issued a travel advisory on Guyana. The US is advising its citizens to be wary of the elements that infest this area, giving specific directives as to how and when to conduct business in and around those places. It is the sad reality that we all have to face.
I close by saying City municipal market locations are breeding grounds for crime, and if the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown do not understand this, then it paints all of us Guyanese in the worst possible light, both on the local turf as well as on the international scene. We can ill afford such negative publicity at this crucial stage of our development.

Respectfully,
Neil Adams