Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, has for years been caught in political tug-of-war between the country’s two dominant parties, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). What should be routine governance of the nation’s capital has instead declined into a prolonged standoff in which ordinary residents and businesses bear the consequences of political inertia and selective outrage.
This struggle is evident in the city’s declining services, its deteriorating infrastructure, its fragile financial condition, and the persistent inability of the municipal authority effectively. The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) being cash‑strapped is a tale as old as time. (and/or Hamilton Greene 🙂 )
But the M&CC’s financial woes are not by accident. It is the result of decades of political laziness, deliberate inaction, and political convenience. Rather than addressing the root causes of the municipality’s revenue shortfalls, successive governments have allowed the problem to fester.
The M&CC has claimed in the last two decades that its inability to garner funds is linked to an outdated rates and taxes regime. Successive Mayors, dating back to Mr. Green, have lamented that rates and taxes have remained low and out of touch with reality. With less monies coming in, the M&CC is struggling to provide even the basic of services.
At the centre of this issue lies a legal failure that precedes all others. It is also one that is rarely mentioned. Under Section 4(1) of the Valuation for Rating Purposes Act, the Chief Valuation Officer may prepare valuation lists only when directed by the Minister of Finance. Section 5 of the same Act is equally explicit, requiring that property revaluations be conducted every five years. Georgetown, from all indications, has not been reevaluated in close to three decades and no such order has been passed to operationalise that aspect of the act, despite both sides agreeing that the city is in dire need of intervention.
The consequences are stark. High‑value commercial properties in prime areas such as Regent and Robb Streets continue to pay rates and taxes based on valuations dating back to 1996. Some major businesses reportedly pay as little as $12,000 to $15,000 annually.
But it gets more interesting. In March this year, a gazetted order quietly transferred control of 22 major streets from the M&CC to the Ministry of Public Works. Signed by Minister Juan Edghill, Orders 15 through 37 of 2026 placed some of Georgetown’s most valuable and active corridors, including Regent Street, Robb Street, Camp Street, Charlotte Street, Lamaha Street, and the Eastern Highway, under central government’s control.
President Irfaan Ali stated last month that the takeover of city streets is about national development, but that statement needs to be brought under the microscope. How can city streets that could have benefitted from upgrades through increased revenue measures initiated by the Finance Minister now be framed as areas that needed to be rescued for national development? These very streets could have been improved through a strengthening of the Mayor and City Council’s financial capacity, and the government could have facilitated that by permitting the revaluation process to proceed.
But President Ali insists that his government is “not playing politics”. Of course, this comment is in contradiction with his past statements about the PPP/C’s intention to win control of the Georgetown City Council at the upcoming Local Government Elections.
Many, including this author, believe that had the PPP/C government exercised its lawful authority between 1992 and 2015 and then from 2020 to present, then the M&CC could have seen increased revenue for basic services including the upkeep of these streets.
But, perhaps it was strategic to turn a blind eye. The reality is: the PPP by avoiding the modernising of valuations, effectively sidestepped public backlash and resistance from the private sector, where increased rates and taxes could have provoked serious opposition. This same, or even more extreme opposition that was colourfully displayed when the M&CC several years ago implemented the parking meter project. Imagine the chaos that could ensue if the PPP government was to preside over a move that would see its private sector friends paying more rates and taxes.
Perhaps the takeover is but an attempt tp create a justification that there is no need to have a modern rates and taxes regime because the government is carrying most of the weight by controlling these major routes. The M&CC will not need to clamour for reevaluation when the government is bankrolling the maintenance, construction and rehabilitation of these road networks and associated areas.
The M&CC is still in dire straits. There is no relief. The Council is still at the mercy of Central Government as funds will have to be allocated at the discretion of the very authority now insisting that the move was “not political.”
The choice of roads also raises legitimate questions. If the thrust of the government’s move was for national development, why were only commercial routes transferred? Was Broad Street transferred? Hope Street? Tiger Bay? Are they not part of this master plan?
PNCR General Secretary Mr. Sherwin Benjamin, last month, was on the money when he stated that the municipality is financially constrained by design with the government’s refusal to order the valuations.
He argued that the government has now swopped in as the knight in shiny armour to “rescue” the city from the very dragon it reared.
Mr. Benjamin told the media that the city’s 2026 budget projects GY$4.41 billion in revenue against GY$5.69 billion in expenditure, resulting in a deficit of approximately GY$1.28 billion, with more than GY$150 billion owed to the city.
But admittedly, these claims are cushed under the immense weight of the PNCR’s own record. Between 2015 and 2020, the PNCR, through the APNU+AFC coalition, controlled both central government and City Hall and possessed the same legal authority to instruct revaluation. That authority was never exercised. Mr. Benjamin would do well to explain why.
The PPP/C is justified in highlighting the PNCR’s debt to the M&CC, including the reported $6.7 billion owed by Congress Place. Accountability cannot be selective. The PPP also needs to say how many Government agencies owe significant sums to the M&CC and how much.
The M&CC itself owes millions to state entities and billions to at least one major utility provider.
If Georgetown is to reclaim its standing
as the “Garden City,” the rhetoric must give way to action. The property valuations must be updated as required by law. Until then, sadly, Georgetown will remain hostage while our leaders play politics in this, “the Fastest Growing Economy in the World”.
