By Abena Rockcliffe
Throughout the David Granger Presidency, the running joke was that in addition to water, Guyana became the land of Commissions of Inquiry (COI). For almost every major tragedy or scandal, there was a COI. These days, the running activity is the national clean-up exercise. Every year, sometimes twice, President Irfaan Ali leads a national clean-up. These exercises are well publicized and get the support of the business community and regional bodies. The first few times the big cleans were executed, big changes were expected. It was soon found to be anticlimactic and is now gaining the reputation of COIs, expensive and routine.
Yesterday, there was another such clean up exercise. Most of it was no different. Most, if not all Members of Cabinet, were out and about in the various regions. The joint services had to pitch in, ministry workers, religious bodies, private sector, nuff, nuff people out. It was what we have come to accept as cleanup business as usual.
But this time, Minister of Local Government, Priya Manickchand said she is ‘no longer about that life’ as the young people would say.
The Minister was in the Albouystown area before bird wife wake. In a video clip published by Guyana Standard, the Minister is seen arming herself with red gloves and preparing to lend a hand in the clean-up. Manickchand called it “extremely irritating” to have to be out that early for another clean-up. She vowed that that attempt will be one of, if not the last, of its kind as she is growing quite tired of having to carry out that task. The Minister threatened penalties to be faced by those who continue to mismanage their waste.
Manickchand said that new laws will be passed in the National Assembly, but in the meantime those on the books will be applied.
Immediately I thought maybe that would be the solution. Since the cultural change is not happening on its own, it must be forced. But then I wondered, why only now, the imposition of fines is not revolutionary. Why did it not happen before now? There must be a reason the government kept on doing the same thing over and over, apparently expecting a different result. Is it that there isn’t much support for the course of action where stiff penalties are imposed? Does that then mean that Manickchand will not get her way?
I was then confronted with the memory of Manickchand confidently telling her colleagues in the House that she is a winner. “I never fail baby, honorable baby” is what she famously declared on the floor of the National Assembly during the 2026 Budget debate. If memory serves me right, the Minister was speaking about solid waste management when she made that remark. Therefore, if for some reason application of the law does not work, Manickchand has to find the solution, lest she contradicts herself.
Guyana has a few real problems. Two of them that are interconnected are the solid waste problem and the flooding problem. They both affect quality of life and therefore need real solutions. Obviously, the steady clean-up campaign is not the solution. Therefore, I do hope Manickchand is right and yesterday’s exercise is one of the last of its kind. It is ineffective, as garbage usually returns within 24 to 72 hours and Ministers should be attending to policies and other ways to make life better for Guyanese.
Yesterday I was asked why I was not part of the cleanup exercise. My response was I played no role in the mismanagement of my waste and therefore I feel no sense of duty to clean up. We have many CCTV cameras across the country that could be used to help identify the culprits. In addition to fines, these people should be the ones made to clean up. Not those of us who are responsible with our waste disposal.
