Minister McCoy: ‘Obstructionists’ won’t stop Georgetown Revival Plan

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, has warned that the Government will not allow “obstructionist” political actors to derail the Georgetown Revival Plan, even as works have already begun in sections of the capital.

In September, President Dr. Irfaan Ali launched the comprehensive Georgetown Revival Plan, crafted with support from the King’s Foundation as part of a wider National Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development.

The initiative, which initially targets Georgetown, aims to transform the capital into a model of urban development, heritage preservation and efficient public services.

The strategy is aligned with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, marrying urban renewal with environmental sustainability. Works have already commenced in Tiger Bay.

Against this backdrop, McCoy said it is no coincidence that political pushback has intensified.

“There is a clear indication that the obstructionists have emerged at a time when the government has intensified a much-needed and long-awaited rescue and revival plan for our cherished capital city,” he said. “We have seen the obstructionist tactics in the past from the opposition, and no doubt, it is their card of choice. I say to all the obstructionist actors, this time, not long time.”

McCoy stressed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is “in no mood” to be sidetracked by those seeking to destabilise national programmes designed to benefit all Guyanese.

“This PPP/C Government will be inclusive, we will consult, and we will discuss as we have done in the case of the City Rescue Plan,” he stated. “What we will not do is trade concessions and make compromises to satisfy the politics of the narrow-focused, petty-minded opposition.”

Describing the scale of the capital works, McCoy said the transformation underway in Georgetown “is larger than the comprehension of the opposition” and has already attracted strong public backing.

He noted that residents and business operators have long called for a cleaner, safer and better-organised city that works both socially and economically.

According to the minister, citizens want public spaces where families can relax, and children can play, as well as an environment that supports commerce, tourism and national pride.

McCoy also addressed concerns about the impact of the plan on vendors operating in central commercial areas, particularly around Stabroek Market and Stabroek Square.

He urged vendors not to allow themselves to be used as pawns in what he described as the opposition’s attempts to frustrate the city’s clean-up and reordering.

“The Stabroek Market vendors must not allow themselves to be part of the opposition’s ploy, and to allow themselves to be deprived of the opportunity to ply their trade in a respectable, dignified environment that reflects national pride,” McCoy said.

“Our mission is to support individuals’ ability to earn and to lead meaningful and productive lives. We’ve said before, and we maintain, that the Stabroek Market vendors should have no fear of being displaced by the hands of this People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government. These temporary inconveniences will eventually be over, much to the satisfaction of all who frequent Stabroek Square.”

McCoy reserved his harshest criticism for those he said are using the city’s current conditions as political ammunition while having personally profited from the system.

“The oppressors are those who shout the loudest, including those who have enriched themselves through their tax evasion and other schemes,” he charged.

He labelled such figures “agents of chaos and confusion” who, he argued, have no genuine interest in improving the lives of ordinary citizens.

“These agents of chaos and confusion do not care about your well-being. They would gladly keep you in your present environmental conditions, so that they will always have an opportunity to feed their empty, cheap politics,” McCoy said.

The minister maintained that despite political resistance, the Government remains committed to pressing ahead with the Georgetown Revival Plan as a flagship effort to modernise the capital, uplift its residents and reflect a standard of development consistent with Guyana’s wider economic transformation.