Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand has publicly called out Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore for misrepresenting the outcomes of high-level talks regarding the city’s sanitation crisis.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the minister expressed consternation and disappointment after reading news reports that contradict private agreements made between the two offices.

According to Manickchand, those discussions included clear acknowledgement of the problems affecting garbage collection and sanitation in Georgetown, as well as agreement on a way forward.

On Sunday, the local government minister met with the Mayor, several councillors and the Chief Sanitation Officer. According to a Facebook post following the meeting, the minister had expressed her deep concern and disappointment about the state of the City of Georgetown.

“What currently obtains is wholly unacceptable. Sanitation services, solid waste disposal, garbage collection etc MUST be reliable, predictable and effective,” the post stated.

The minister also reportedly requested that a comprehensive plan for effective change be submitted today.

According to the Minister, Mayor Mentore had personally agreed to attend and report back today with a concrete plan for the cleanliness and sanitation of Georgetown.

The goal was a collaborative effort to ensure Georgetown residents benefited from a clean, sanitary, and habitable environment. However, Minister Manickchand said that the Mayor instead took to social media and the press to issue statements that were “diametrically opposed” to what had been discussed behind closed doors.

“The Mayor agreed to attend yesterday; he accepted my invitation in the presence of all who were in the meeting and said they would report to me today about what plans they might have at the M&CC moving forward for the cleanliness and sanitation of Georgetown,” she said.

She added that at the last minute the Mayor declined the invitation he had already accepted.

The local government minister outlined a history of attempted engagement since assuming office in September, noting that multiple meetings were held to bridge the gap between the ministry and the Mayor and City Council (M&CC). One such meeting occurred on October 1st, which the minister chose to keep private.

“We met privately, we examined some of the history of the relationship between the M&CC and the ministry, and how we could make sure bad habits that could be reflected in that relationship didn’t affect the citizens of Georgetown,” she revealed. “The Mayor committed that we wouldn’t let historical bad habits get in the way of the citizens and residents of Georgetown and visitors to Georgetown feeling serviced.”

Despite these private assurances, the minister lamented that this marks the third such experience where public statements from City Hall have contradicted private commitments.

Detailing another one of these instances, she recalled that on November 10, 2025, she joined Mayor Mentore in a walkabout at Stabroek Square as part of a grassroots engagement effort in preparation for the construction of the Stabroek Square. The aim was to beautifying the Stabroek area by creating a space that will be wholly accessible to the public, including vendors, shoppers and commuters.

“When we began to do the construction of Stabroek Square, the Honourable Mayor turned up and behaved as though he was totally unaware of what happened there and seemed to have different views and seemed to have a very coincidentally aligned view with the opposition party,” she explained.

She emphasised that while the ministry remains hopeful for a new era of cooperation, the priority remains the welfare of the people over political maneuvering.

Minister Manickchand reiterated that the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development holds oversight over all 80 local government organs and will step in whenever the workplan of a council fails to serve its people.

“The residents and users of the City must not be held hostage to poor politics. We have a duty to be responsive to the needs of our residents, users and visitors to Georgetown. And that duty will be honored,”