M&CC to be excluded in $1B clean-up campaign; Gov’t may outsource labour

By Fareeza Haniff

Details relating to the execution and implementation of the campaign have not been released by the administration since its announcement on March 24.

When asked about sourcing the labour for the campaign’s implementation, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee explained that it “might” be outsourced to either a private or public institution or the possibility exists for private/public collaboration.

“Outsourcing might be one of the pathways to addressing the implementation of that project,” the General Secretary said.

He pointed to the various regions that pay private contractors for garbage collection.

“It’s working very effectively. There have been one/two teething problems, here and there so I think we can use that model as an example. At the end of the day, people feel satisfied that their garbage is picked up and disposed of in a way that doesn’t affect their health,” Rohee said.

Of the $1B allocation, $500M will be used to clean up the City. However, City Mayor, Hamilton Green does not believe that the $1B allocation is necessary.

He told iNews (www.inewsguyana.com) recently that the figure seems more like an election campaign being launched by the government ahead of the local government elections, similar to a move made by the very government in 1994.

According to Green, had the government allowed the City to run its affairs and enforce and implement several taxation proposals, the City would have been in a better physical state.